Rice Pudding at Your Christmas Table

Our winter Cook the Book pick is Monica Bhide’s Indian cookbook Modern Spice. We decided to feature this book as the weather turns cold and the holidays approach because we wanted to add a bit of heat and flavor to our meals both during the week and for entertaining. We are not suggesting that you forgo your favorite holiday foods, but add to them - a spicy chutney, delicious marinade, fun appetizer, warm curry or sweet dessert. We asked Monica herself what she would incorporate at her table. Here is her response:

"Christmas celebrations here in the US, always remind me of the Diwali celebrations back home – lots of food, family and friends. Every kind of imaginable sweet dish in a multitude of sizes, shapes and colors grace the table. Savories of every kind as well are prepared with equal enthusiasm.

I remember a very lonely Christmas when I moved to the US many years ago. I was in college. Everyone had gone home and the campus was deserted. Having just arrived in the US, I knew no one and, going home two oceans away, was just not an option. So, I decided to do the only thing I knew how to bring back the feeling of home: I decided to cook. Nostalgia is a welcome partner on cold, lonely nights. I decided on the dish my mom always made on Diwali – rice pudding. I heated the milk and added the rice and cardamom. As the comforting smells of cardamoms, creamy milk and rice filled the air, I was surrounded by sweet, loving memories of my family so far away and I felt a little less alone. It’s a must at our holiday table since that lonesome night."

Monica lives in the DC area with her family and is a freelance food writer.

Recipe: Rice Pudding