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Mongolian Sweet Rice
Serves 6 Prep 5 min Cook 50 min Total 55 min Type Dessert Origin Mongolian

Mongolian Sweet Rice

A festival rice pudding from the Mongolian steppe: pudding rice simmered in whole milk with butter, sugar and raisins until thick and creamy.

Serves 6 Prep 5 minutes Cook 50 minutes Units Rate

Overview

Rice rinses, then simmers in a pot with milk and a knob of butter over low heat, the same technique as risotto but unstirred. After 30 minutes the rice is just-soft. Sugar and raisins go in for the last 15 minutes. The finished pudding is glossy, sweet, and pourable but holds its shape when spooned. Toppings vary: pine nuts and butter, an extra knob of melted butter, or a few drops of fresh cream.

Ingredients

  • 250 g short-grain pudding rice (or arborio)
  • 1.2 litres whole milk
  • 80 g unsalted butter (plus extra to finish)
  • 100 g caster sugar
  • 80 g raisins
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

To finish (optional)

  • 30 g pine nuts
  • A spoonful of fresh cream
  • A pinch of ground cinnamon

Method

Stage 1 - Rinse

  1. Rinse the rice in 3 changes of cold water until the runoff is mostly clear.
  2. Drain.

Stage 2 - Cook

  1. In a heavy-based pot, combine the rinsed rice, milk, butter and a pinch of salt.
  2. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring once to prevent the rice sticking to the bottom.
  3. Reduce to the lowest possible heat; cover loosely.
  4. Cook 25-30 minutes, stirring once every 5 minutes, until the rice is just-soft and the milk has reduced by half.

Stage 3 - Sweeten

  1. Stir in the caster sugar, raisins and vanilla.
  2. Cover; cook a further 15 minutes on the lowest heat.
  3. The pudding should be thick and creamy, with the raisins plumped soft.

Stage 4 - Rest and serve

  1. Remove from heat; rest covered 5 minutes.
  2. Spoon into shallow bowls.
  3. Top with an extra knob of butter (let it melt into the rice), a scattering of pine nuts, or a teaspoon of cream and a pinch of cinnamon.
  4. Serve warm.

Notes

  • Low heat for the whole cook: any hint of a boil and the milk scalds at the bottom, giving the pudding a burnt taste.
  • Sugar goes in LAST third: added at the start, sugar slows the rice absorbing the milk and you end up with chalky grains.
  • Short-grain is non-negotiable: long-grain rice stays distinct; you want the grains to break down slightly into the milk.
  • Raisins not currants: raisins plump nicely; currants stay shrivelled.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days refrigerated; the pudding sets firm in the fridge.
  • Reheat gently in a pan with a splash of fresh milk to loosen.
  • Doesn't freeze well - the texture goes grainy.

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A sweet rice that's about generosity rather than complexity: hot basmati glossed with melted butter, fattened with cashews, sweetened just a little with sugar and softened raisins, and (in the traditional version) studded with droma, small starchy wild roots harvested in central Tibet that look a bit like miniature sweet potatoes and taste vaguely chestnut-like. Without droma the dish is still recognisably dresil, just simpler. Yak butter is the real-thing fat, tangier and stronger than supermarket butter; ghee is the closest accessible substitute. The sweetness is restrained, Tibetan sweets in general aren't very sweet by Western standards, which is part of why dresil eats well alongside salty butter tea. Smell is warm butter and toasted nuts. Easy to make: it's essentially a stir-through. The first thing eaten on the first morning of Losar (Tibetan New Year) in many Central Tibetan households, with each family member taking a small bowl as part of the day-one rituals, and a quiet dish despite being a celebration food.

Desserts 1 hour 15 minutes Serves4-6