What if I want to make rice pudding (arroz con leche) and don't have long grain white rice? Possible?

[lovessushi]

I was hoping to make it on this stormy night...I have short grain brown rice (sushi rice), white sushi rice, quick long grain brown rice (uncle ben's)...can any of these be used and if so would it be the same quantity of rice?

Thanks!!

[Sam Fujisaka]

Just a note: what is now sold as "sushi rice" is just short grained Japanese/Japonica rice. I've noticed that prices increased and bags got smaller once such rice stated getting sold as "sushi rice".

[danieljdwyer]

I've been making sake at home for a few months now and am wondering, in light of this, what you think about advice I've seen. The more highly polished the rice is, the better the sake will end up being. I've seen in a number of different homebrew sources (all American and clearly not well researched or professional) that, from the same brand, buying a bag of rice labeled "sushi rice" gives you a better chance of getting a more highly polished rice than one simply labeled short grain rice. Thoughts?

[Sam Fujisaka]

Interesting. Rice quality is definitely not a function of polishing; and levels of milling and polishing rice are pretty much the same for each rice. The only differences that "sushi rice" gives you are higher price and smaller amounts.

[danieljdwyer]

Cool. Thanks.
The way it is explained in the guides I've seen is not so much that more polished rice is higher quality, but that it is purer starch. Not knowing whether or not this is true, I just went with it, because the price difference ends up being almost negligible when you can make a gallon of excellent sake for a couple bucks even with overpriced "sushi rice".
The claim is also that the most prestigious sake houses in Japan are using rice milled to only 35% of its original weight for their premium sakes. I can't even find rice that polished, except for exorbitant prices online. Here's the most complete information I've found, if you're interested: http://www.sake-world.com/html/more-t...

[lovessushi]

Sam you are definitely right - instead of buying the tiny bags at the local grocery I've been getting rice from the Japanese market -it's much cheaper and not sure if this is true, but seems like better quality...

[Father Kitchen]

Check out Koda farms rices at Costco and a lot of Asian markets. Their Kokuho Rose rice makes wonderful rice pudding. I haven't made sushi with it, but their web site says it makes good sushi. It makes very good arroz blanco, Mexican style, and pilafs. And it is really great simply steamed.

[jen kalb]

short grain white rice is starchy and very good for rice pudding. I think you would be safe using the same amount of rice and water/milk for short grain, or a little less. You can always add more milk later if it seems too thick.

[lovessushi]

Thank you both - I've never made rice pudding before and thought it was definitely too sweet, the short grain rice worked out perfectly! :)

[todao]

Congratulations on your success. It's sometimes difficult to find a happy medium for sweetness with the first go-round of any new recipe. Some like lots of sugar, some just a little; like salt, it's a matter of taste. As I get older I seem to prefer less sugar than I did in my youth. Stay with it - you'll find the right combination to suit your own taste and that rice pudding will become a favorite fall back dessert for those times when you need something very good on short notice.

[lovessushi]

Thanks todao :)

[todao]

The white sushi rice should actually work better than long grain rice. You want your pudding to be creamy so you want the rice to break down somewhat during cooking and the sushi rice should do that better than what your recipe apparently calls for.
Just remember to watch it while it's cooking and don't let it get to the point where it disintegrates into a sticky soup.