Sticky Toffee Brown Rice Pudding

Recipe by health food enthusiast Moon Bedeaux

A comforting and irresistible rice pudding recipe, that requires minimal cooking effort. It’s the ideal winding down treat for a lazy weekend.

This divine rice pudding recipe contains the adaptogenic herbs ashwagandha and reishi mushroom which are available to buy at shops such as Holland and Barrett.

What are adaptogens?

Adaptogens are a group of herbs that are believed to protect our bodies from the harmful effects of stress, whilst also supporting our overall health, energy levels and mood.

Ashwagandha is renowned for its ability to ease anxiety and stress, and reishi for relaxation and improving sleep - making this rice pudding recipe perfect comfort food.  

The recipe also benefits from organic grass-fed ghee (clarified butter) which is both moreish and healthy. Often used in Ayurveda (a natural system of medicine that originated in India more than 3,000 years ago), 1-3 tsp of ghee a day provides you with essential omega 3s, boosts immunity and may improve memory. 

Vegan? Not to worry, this is just as good with coconut oil.

Comforting and irresistible

Sticky Toffee Brown Rice Pudding Recipe

Makes:

3-4 servings

Cooking time:

Approximately 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 150g of short grain brown rice
• 1 litre of oat milk
• 200ml of water
• 75g of coconut sugar
• 2 tsp of vanilla essence
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 tsp of sea salt
• 1 large spoonful of grass-fed organic ghee (for a vegan recipe, swap for coconut oil)
• 4 medjool dates— pitted and diced
• 100ml of canned coconut cream
• 1 tsp of reishi per person*
• 1/2 tsp of ashwagandha powder or 2 opened capsules per person*

*Dosage:

Add the recommended daily dosage of reishi and ashwagandha suggested on the packaging and multiply this by the amount of persons consuming the dessert.

This is the recommended daily allowance per person. 

If you’re on medication, have a health condition, pregnant or breastfeeding, like any herb consult with your physician before taking. Best not to give to children, this is simply because little research has been done into any potential risks to this group.

If you are part of the above group or have a cause for concern, the adaptogens will not hinder the taste of the recipe and will be just as delicious without.

The ideal winding down treat

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C
2. Grease a medium sized casserole pot lid with ghee or coconut oil and set aside.
3. Place oat milk, filtered water, coconut sugar, salt and vanilla in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a simmer whilst stirring to dissolve the sugar, until the surface is foamy. Do not boil as it may split!
4. In a small bowl, pour the recommended dosage of ashwagandha and reishi powder and add a little bit of the oat milk mixture to the powders and whisk until it forms a smooth paste. Incorporate this back into the main milk mixture before combining all ingredients.
5. Place rice and cinnamon in the baking dish. Pour the oat milk mixture over and give it a brief stir, then cover with a lid or some foil.
6. Bake the mixture for approximately 2 and a half hours in total. For the first 1 and a half hours, stir the mixture every 30 minutes to break up the rice that starts to set on the base.
7. After 1 and a half hours, stir every 20 mins.
8. After 2 hours and 10 mins of baking, take the pudding out of the oven and add the medjool dates and stir in a large spoonful of ghee/coconut oil. Put the rice pudding back in the oven for a final 20 minutes.
9. Take the pudding out of the oven after 2 and a half hours and set on the side. It may look slightly watery but not to worry - give it a gentle stir and the liquids will evaporate quickly.
10. Taste the pudding to check the rice density. It should be soft with a little bite to it. If you’d like it softer, add 100ml more water to it, stir and return to oven for another 15-20 mins.
11. Serve immediately, just as is or drizzle with chilled cream, curl up in your comfies and enjoy!

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