Mom's Delicious Rice Pudding

My mom makes delicious rice pudding which I never ever attempted to re-create. It was the ideal white and creamy food to eat just before lent (read Marfaa).

I pulled out the recipe but all it had was a list of four ingredients and measurements. Glad my mom was still awake to call and get the instructions.

You start with 3/4 cup Arborio rice (no other rice will work according to mom).

Soak it in some water, clean it, then put it in a pot with a thin layer of water to cover. Heat up and partially cook until the water starts to be absorbed by the rice.

Now add 7 cups milk.

I used 2% milk which was perfect. I don't recommend using less fat-content milk since it may not thicken properly for you.

Bring it to just before boiling level. Then simmer on low heat, stirring frequently.

You'd see a layer forming on top. Try to take it out if you can, but don't take out the rice that is stuck to it.

Keep simmering and stirring until the mixture thickens (this is not a fast process - it took almost two hours to thicken when I made it).

Once thickened, add 1 cup sugar and 2 Tbsp orange blossom water. The sugar will reduce the thickness of the pudding so let it cook with the sugar, stirring frequently, until it thickens again (almost another 15 minutes).

Turn off the heat. Pour into serving dishes and let cool at room temperature. Some sprinkle it with cinnamon. I like it plain. Enjoy this perfumed, Lebanese-style version of rice pudding.