This recipe is an old classic. The syrup that you pour over this rice pudding provides the real “wow factor” and the toasted pistachios balance the sweetness of the pudding.

Rice pudding

Ingredients

• 1 litre full cream milk
• 50 g caster sugar
• 1 Tbsp orange- blossom honey
• 2 wide strips of orange rind
• 100 g rice
• 10 ml orange juice
• 80 ml fresh cream

Method

1. Put the milk in a saucepan with the sugar, orange- blossom honey and orange rind. Bring to the boil.

2. Take the pan off the heat and leave to infuse for 30 minutes before removing the orange rind and straining.

3. Now put the rice in a heavy- bottomed pan with the milk mixture. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Leave to cool and then add the orange juice and cream a little at a time, until you have reached your preferred consistency.

Orange syrup

 Ingredients

• 300 ml orange juice
• 50 ml water
• 125 ml orange blossom honey
• 50 g sugar (1/4 cup
• 8 cardamom pod seeds, crushed
• 1 orange zested
• 1 packet of shelled and toasted Pistachios to serve

Method

1. Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and slowly bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes to reduce by half. Remove from the heat and strain. The syrup will thicken as it cools down.

2. Serve the pudding warm with a little syrup poured over the top and the rest in a jug on the side.

3. Sprinkle each serving with toasted Pistachios.

TIP

I usually serve this dessert after any of my Chinese dishes and particularly the Chinese Orange Chicken