Dear giagia – I made my own Rizogalo! (Keto rice pudding)
Rice on milk or Keto Rizogalo – How does this sound to you? I know, impossible and undoable! However, as a Greek, I remember this comforting pudding throughout my childhood. Each giagia in Greece takes pride in preparing this pudding for her grandchildren. The same tradition was followed by my grandmother. You simply cannot say no to a bowl of giagia’s Rizogalo! The soft texture, silky smoothness and the amazing aroma of cinnamon… In Spain, they call it Orzo con Leche. On the other side, in Italy, they love to have it as a special Arborio rice pudding. All around the globe Rice pudding, usually prepared with milk and sugar, has an emotional and intimate connection to growing up in a warm and loving home… Just about in any corner of the world.
Rice on Keto – Reality check
Rice is one of the first things we ditch when starting the Ketogenic diet. Not only due to the carb content, but also because most of the modern rice is highly processed and genetically modified. Of course, for savoury dishes, we came up with the cauliflower rice. Personally, I substitute rice with sesame seeds wherever I can. On the other hand, milk is one of the most missed things for numerous Ketonians. Luckily, with the variety of nut milk options and cream, somehow, we learned to forget our milk blues. The only exception, as I already wrote here, would be the utilisation of unprocessed full-fat goat milk which gives 3g net carbs per 100 ml. But in this recipe, I’ll make it as simple as it can be.
Can we make something that tastes and feels similar?
As with everything, I like to experiment and come as closest as possible to the original version. Nevertheless, remember, we are Ketonians and we really don’t want any additional sugar, starch or artificial additives. Is there anything that can give us the pleasure of rice pudding, while keeping us deep in Keto macros? Of course, there is…
Keto Rizogalo – Rice pudding with no rice
In fact, you’ll be surprised how simple it is! First of all, you’ll not have to cook it! Secondly, you’ll be able to enjoy it as a full breakfast or a light dinner! You can play with the additives, but to stay within the Greek tradition of preparing the Rizogalo, I’ll use cinnamon as a topping. Alternatively, you can top this pudding with berries, crushed nuts, seeds, shredded homemade chocolate pralines, Keto honey substitute.
Let your imagination take you back to your childhood days…
Keto rice pudding - (Keto Rizogalo)
Ingredients
- 100 ml (1/2 cup) heavy cream organic, carrageenan-free
- 100 ml mineral water
- 4-5 tbsp white chia flour* (you can ground white chia seeds in a food processor)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp stevia or monk fruit sweetener (or according to your sweetener power)
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Mix the water with heavy cream at room temperature.
- Add chia flour, salt and sweetener. Using a whisk mix well until you get a smooth texture. Leave the pudding on room temperature for 12 minutes to allow chia to thicken it.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon (or any topping of your choice) and serve. If you would like to have it cold, you can leave the pudding in the freezer for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
