RIZOGALO & SUMAC STRAWBERRIES
Rizogalo, the beloved Greek rice pudding, is a creamy dessert with roots tracing back to ancient times. Its origins lie in the traditional Mediterranean diet, where rice, milk, and sugar came together as an affordable and comforting treat. Rizogalo’s simplicity is its charm: short grain rice slow cooked in milk until rich and velvety, then infused with the warm spices of cinnamon or sometimes a hint of vanilla.
Historically, this dessert was a staple in Greek households, enjoyed both as a midday snack and a soothing finish to meals. It reflects the Greek love for wholesome, straightforward ingredients transformed into something utterly delicious without fuss. Today, rizogalo remains a staple at family tables and festivals, symbolising comfort, nostalgia, and a little bit of sweet joy.
My version is very classic when it comes to the actual rice based recipe, sticking to vanilla, orange and cinnamon to flavour the dish. The topping of sumac strawberries gives it an tart sweet punch on top as my rizogolo recipe isn’t overly sweet, as I only use 80gm of honey in the entire dish, giving room for the sumac strawberry syrup ti really layers itself through for burst of surprising sweetness.
RIZOGALO & SUMAC STRAWBERRIES
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RIZOGALO & SUMAC STRAWBERRIES 〰️
(Greek Rice Pudding)
1 litre milk
80gm honey
1 orange (zest and juice)
1 tbl sp vanilla
1 cinnamon stick
3/4 cup arborio rice
1 cup water
1 punnet strawberries (washed, ends removed, chopped in halves)
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 tea sp sumac
1 tbl sp cinnamon powder
Begin by infusing the milk. In a small pot add milk, honey, orange zest, vanilla and cinnamon stick and bring to a high simmer, stirring to help the honey melt. Once high simmer is reached, take off and keep stirring to make sure the milk doesn’t curdle. Pop to the side.
In a large pot add in rice and water on low medium heat and allow to cook. Make sure you stir as you go. Keep cooking until nearly all the water is gone. Pour in the infused honey milk and raise to medium heat, allowing it to reach a gentle simmer. Simmer for 35-45 minutes, stirring every so often so that the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom. It’ll be ready when rice is cooked and milk has reduced to a really creamy soup. Very similar to a loose porridge in thickness. Take off heat and continue stirring as it cools. Remove cinnamon stick.
For the sumac strawberries, place caster sugar and half of the orange juice on pan on medium heat and stir allowing the sugar to melt. Once sugar has melted, add in the sumac and strawberries and mix it all through over medium heat for a couple of minutes, or until strawberries and softened but still holding shape. Place to the side and allow to cool.
To plate, add rizogalo to small bowl, spoon on sumac strawberries and the syrup its swimming in, before a dusting of cinnamon powder.