Daring Cooks: Risotto

coconut milk and orange risotto pudding with kabocha squash

The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of MelbournefoodGeek and Jess of Jessthebaker. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto.

Knowing the only person in my house who will eat risotto is me, I had to prepare one that I will definitely want to eat and write about for my very first Daring Cooks challenge. Revisiting and being inspired by this yummy recipe I cooked a sweet risotto with just 6 ingredients added to the rice: coconut milk, milk, water, sugar, orange peels, and a pinch of salt. I like that it is easier to cook because the arborio rice is preboiled in plain water before adding both milk. The rice is tender and creamy but not mushy nor gummy and the flavor combination of coconut milk and orange essence is simply delightful. The kabocha squash which is boiled separately in coconut milk, water, and sugar is the 'icing' on the pudding. Each serving is drizzled with a little coconut milk and sprinkled with orange zest.

Coconut Risotto Pudding
a quarter of a kabocha squash
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons sugar
1 large orange
½ cup arborio rice
water
a pinch of sea salt

• Cut kabocha lengthwise into 1 inch thick pieces and cook gently with ¾ cup coconut milk and ½ cup water until fork tender, turning once, about 15 minutes. 
• Put 1¼ cups of water and the rice in a medium saucepan . With a vegetable peeler, remove the zest of half of the orange and add to the saucepan.Turn the heat on high and let the mixture come to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 12 minutes or until rice is almost cooked. Add 1 cup coconut milk, milk, sugar, and salt and cook over medium heat while constantly stirring until the rice is tender, about 12 minutes. The pudding should be creamy and not soupy. Remove the orange zest and discard.
• Slice the cooked kabocha. Zest the remaining orange half with a zester. Spoon the risotto pudding into individual bowls, top with a few slices of kabocha. Sprinkle with orange zest and drizzle coconut milk on top. Serve with extra kabocha pieces on the side.

Milo Toast

 Milo and sweetened condensed milk on toasted bread

As a child [up to my 20s], my favorite breakfast drink was Milo malted chocolate powder mixed in ice cold milk. I started drinking coffee in my late twenties and haven't had Milo since. I occasionaly drink Nesquick hot chocolate and sometimes add a little in my coffee, not often because it makes my coffee sweet and I prefer unsweetened coffee.

I read in several Filipino blogs a restaurant in the Philippines that serves Milo Toast, a toasted brown bread topped with dry Milo and a drizzling of sweetened condensed milk. It's a popular breakfast food in Singapore and other Asian cities. I used to eat dry Milo or Ovaltine from a cup. I got the habit from my older sister who was a very picky eater. She was forced by my mother to eat dry Ovaltine because she couldn't stand the combination of Ovaltine/Milo and milk, it made her nauseous. While I didn't have problem with food of any kind, I followed my sister's lead and discovered eating dry Ovaltine or Milo was better as a snack than a drink.

I can't remember the last time we had Milo in the house, maybe more than 20 years ago. We always have Horlicks or Carnation malted milk and Nesquick which doesn't have malt. So I went to the grocery store and bought a small tin of Milo, toasted 2 slices of white bread, topped one with Nesquick and the other with Milo. The Milo won hands down because of two things, flavor and texture. Milo is malted and has granular consistency which is sort of crunchy and I love its tendency to stick to the roof of my mouth. I know I'm weird. And now I'm totally hooked. OMG! Very yummy. Very sweet. Very addicting.

To make Milo Toast: Toast slices of white or whole wheat bread, drizzle all over with sweetened condensed milk, spread Milo on toast, drizzle with more milk. You may also butter the bread before drizzling with milk but I prefer it without. Enjoy the toasts with sunny-side-up fried egg/s and a large mug of coffee or combination coffee and tea with sweetened condensed milk.