The Mija Chronicles

Mexican food and culture, on both sides of the border

Juanita’s rice pudding

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Juanita is a Mexican woman in her 90’s who lives in the Colonia Cuauhtémoc. She still cooks every day, and her food is superb.

Last year I was lucky enough to make chiles rellenos with her in her kitchen. With my friend Lizzie, who was living with Juanita, we charred and seeded the chiles, made the fluffy egg batter and nestled strips of cheese inside the chiles’ green flesh. Juanita had advised us to do it delicately, “as if it were a child you were swaddling.”

A few weeks ago, Lizzie was leaving town, so she invited me over again for lunch. Juanita made chicken-salad sandwiches and we had tomatoey noodle soup and beer. Dessert was rice pudding — something Juanita often makes under the name “dulce de arroz.”

The dish tasted like something she would’ve slaved over. How could something so simple taste so complex? However, when Lizzie finally passed me the recipe (which she got by watching Juanita one day), it was easy. The recipe called for one can of condensed milk, a liter of milk, cinnamon and lime zest. That’s it.

I did not have a great history with rice pudding. The one time I tried to make it last year, I screwed it up. But Juanita’s recipe seemed easy enough. Anything with condensed milk can’t ever taste bad.

So I made the dish for Alice’s baby shower. To my surprise, it turned out just like I’d had it at Juanita’s house: creamy, sweet, with just the right amount of cinnamon. I licked the spoon and really wanted to lick my dessert glass, too, but decided against it.

Juanita’s Rice Pudding
Serves at least 8 as a dessert

Note: The cooking time really varies on this dish, depending on how thick or thin you like your rice pudding. I made two batches and one came out a little thinner, but both still tasted great. If you’ve never made rice pudding before, I’d suggest cooking the mixture until it has noticeably thickened, about 15 minutes or so on a high simmer. (High simmer means the mixture should be bubbling, shouldn’t it be so hot that it’s boiling over.)

The rice pudding thickens considerably once it’s cooled. I fretted over the batch that turned out a little thin, but an overnight sit in the fridge helped firm it up.

You can add a sprinkle of cinnamon while it cools, or wait to add the cinnamon at serving time.

Ingredients

1 cup white rice
3 cinnamon sticks, 3″-4″ long
Zest of 1 lime (around 1/2 teaspoon)
1 liter whole milk
1 can condensed milk
Ground cinnamon

Cook 1 cup white rice (washed) and 2 cups water with 3 cinnamon sticks and the lime zest. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated and the rice is cooked.

Add 1 liter whole milk and boil for a few minutes.

Add the condensed milk. Cook on a high simmer for 10 minutes or so* (see headnote; cooking times can vary), stirring often so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. When done, the rice should be soft, and the mixture will have thickened. Top with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon and cool.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. My mother made a rice pudding that I can still taste and never paid attention when she made it…so recipe is gone with her… I am a sucker for rice Pudding and I will definitely try Juanita’s.

  2. Hi Lesley,

    As I’ve told you several times at our Mexican History & Gastronomy Program I love reading about Mexico through your hungry eyes. You admire and enjoy what we take for granted; those tiny things, foods and flavors with which we grew up.

    I have meant to ask you since you posted about Con Sabor a Tixtla – do you know if there is a guide to Mexican Fondas? And if not, that could be your legacy to Mexico. You could start in Condesa, Roma, etcetera. Maybe we could all send you the names of the different fondas that we know about…

    Con cariño y admiración recibe un fuerte abrazo de este compañero de metate.

    William Archer.

    • Muchas gracias, William. I love the fondas idea. I don’t know of a book that’s specifically dedicated to them. Will have to mull this over…

  3. Hi Lesley. I love rice puddings. Just about every culture has a version of creamy sweet rice deliciousness. I have a question though, is the rice used in Juanita’s recipe basic white rice? In our family we use short grain Arborio rice…so I was curious what she used. Thank you 🙂

  4. Loved this post! I haven’t made Rice Pudding/Dulce de Arroz in years. And of course I had to go back and check out the Chiles Rellenos recipe. Turns out it is very similar to how I make them but with those special ‘abuelita’ touches! I’ll be trying those soon again also. Again, thanks for your wonderful recipes and stories with such great photos to make it come alive.

  5. Leslie, I thought that there would be some sugar in it, no? Maybe sweetened condensed milk?

    • Hi Susan: Yes, sweetened. I wasn’t aware there was any other kind. In Mexico it’s called “Lechera,” which is technically a Nestle brand, but everyone calls condensed milk lechera anyway.

  6. Hola Mija,

    Do you know if this works with Brown Rice?

    Do you use the zest of the Persian or Key Limes? Does it matter?

    Armando Piña

    • Hi Armando: Brown rice takes longer to cook than white rice — a little more than double the cooking time in Mexico — but I’m sure you can use it with good results. (Again… it’s condensed milk!) I used a large seedless lime for my zest, but I don’t think it matters.

  8. I don’t know how you do it Lesley. 2 years in mexico and I’ve never met a Juanita (or anyone else with mad Mexiculinary skills)….

    Another great post. I’m beginning to sound like a broken record.

  9. The rice pudding looks awesome!

    And I think I am actually going to be meeting you this weekend! I am part of Penny’s group. She used your name in an email, a quick google later, and I think I found the right Lesley.

    I am beyond words stoked about the trip!!!

  10. mmm…rice pudding. when my people make it, we call it “kheer” and use cardamom instead of cinnamon. love the idea of lime zest!

  11. Hola Lesley,

    Me encanta tu blog con tantas comidas auténticas mexicanas, gracias por compartir esta receta con nosotros – me ha encantado! Espero que puedas mirar mi blog sobre comida y recetas mexicanas que se llama A Mexican Fiesta: http://www.mexfoodrecipes.com. ¡Espero verte por alli! Que pases muy buen dia! Maria

  12. Mmm… Rice pudding reminds me of my Ukrainian grandmother. This version sounds amazing and I’m putting it on my to-cook list right now!

  13. Thanks for posting the recipe, Lesley! Finally had a chance to give this one a shot (a good one to try as I’m still waiting on most of my cooking utensils, pots, pans, etc. from the States)…and it definitely didn’t disappoint! This is one for the recipe books!