Rizogalo 

(Greek Rice Pudding) 

Ice Cream

The Rizogalo recipe is courtesy Kouzounas Kitchen, and makes more than enough to freeze for later. Now, I really like rice puddings that have been frozen and then thawed in the fridge; maybe it makes them seem creamier? This time, I thought, why not try rice pudding as ice cream, and eat it while it's still frozen? It made for a very nice ice cream!

Kouzounas Kitchen Facebook 

Kouzounas Kitchen Website, Traditional Rizogalo Recipe (Greek Rice Pudding)

Kouzounas Kitchen Website, Rizogalo (Greek Rice Pudding) [vegan, with coconut milk]

Kouzounas Kitchen Website, Instant Pot Rizogalo Recipe

Vanilla-Chocolate Swirl Pudding & Ice Cream

Throwback: Let's stroll down Memory Lane, all the way back to ... April 2016.

I like to take homemade pudding, and put it in the freezer to make "ice cream." Some varieties of pudding work better for this than others. In this case, I made vanilla pudding (without egg), and wanted to turn it into Vanilla-Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. So, I added some chocolate chips to the cooling/still-very-warm pudding. When I went to mix them in, the chips, of course, melted, and turned into this swirl, on the left. The resulting "ice cream" is on the right. It was cold, sweet, and much like ice cream in some ways, so that was enough for me. 

Shakkara Pongal 

(South Indian Dal & Rice Pudding)

This recipe is from Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking. This satisfying pudding is made from chana dal (split Bengal gram beans), long-grain rice, whole milk, sugar, and ground cardamom.

To make life easier for me, I first had ground up dry chana dal, mixed it with a little water, and let it sit, covered, in the fridge for a few hours. This way, it could later cook for its suggested time with the rice, and still be done enough for me to eat and enjoy. (Otherwise, I'd not only have to soak the dal all day beforehand, but would also have to grind it up, and then cook it twice as long.) When something is simplified like that, I'm more likely to make it (again)!

Rizogalo (Greek Rice Pudding)

This is from a recipe by Kouzouna's Kitchen. The original recipe contained coconut milk, but as I had some regular milk opened, I used that, instead. I noticed that the website's other rice pudding recipe called for a cornstarch-milk mixture to thicken it; I decided to use that idea to thicken this pudding, as I didn't have quite enough rice. The pudding smelled heavenly, with the cinnamon stick cooked in it and the vanilla added at the end. Later, after it was cold, I tried some. This pudding was very thick and creamy, sweet but not too sweet. Awesome recipe!

Kouzouna's Kitchen Website, Rizogalo: Greek Rice Pudding

Kouzouna's Kitchen Facebook

Vanilla Mahalabia (Middle Eastern Rice Pudding)

This was made with rice flour, according to SmileyGirl230's recipe on YouTube. It's very thick and luxurious, and I added some ground cardamom in addition to the vanilla extract. Very soothing and creamy after a spicy meal, or just when you need a little pick-me-up during the day!

SmileyGirl230 YouTube, How to Make Mahalabia - Easy Rice Pudding

Chocolate Mahalabia (Creamy Chocolate Pudding)

This recipe is from SmileyGirl230's Feb 1st video on YouTube. In the photo, I sprinkled some ground hazelnuts and some mini-chocolate chips on the pudding, but it really needs no adornment. I made it early in the afternoon, and to give it time to chill, had to wait until after dinner to try it. At the first taste, I thought, "Oh my gosh, this is the best pudding I've ever had!" It's very thick and creamy, and smelled so chocolatey while it was cooling on the table, before I put it away in the fridge. Yummy! 

SmileyGirl230 YouTube, How to Make Chocolate Mahalabia (Creamy Chocolate Pudding)

SmileyGirl230 Facebook

Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream

Chocolate pudding turned into light "ice cream." Recipe for the pudding was from Bhavna's Kitchen on YouTube. 

 I used an equal amount of honey instead of the butter, thinking of how Gemma Stafford used honey in her frozen yogurt recipe on YouTube. I also used an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract. After cooling the finished product to room temp and chilling in the fridge, I put it in the freezer. 

I may have to leave it on the counter for a few minutes or place in the microwave for 5 to10 seconds if it's really frozen, but otherwise, it's just a delicious light "ice cream."