Why it works: Lemon and mint are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,998 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Rice with Milk
4–6 servingsIngredients
Directions
Prepare the rice
Rinse the rice in a strainer until the water runs clear.
Put the rice and water in a pot and boil for 7 minutes until the rice softens and the water is almost completely absorbed.
Cook the pudding
Add the milk, cinnamon sticks, and lemon peel.
Boil over moderate heat for 10 minutes.
Remove the cinnamon sticks and lemon peel.
Cook for another 5–6 minutes until the rice is softer, stirring often with a wooden spoon.
Add the sugar and cook for another 30 minutes.
Add the salt and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring often.
Chill and serve
Take the rice mixture off the heat and place it in a deep glass dish.
Sprinkle with cinnamon powder and refrigerate.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 10 ingredients. The other 4 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Fruit | not in our table | 0 |
| Syrup | not in our table | 0 |
| Peppermint | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Lemon + minttop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,998 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Rice + cinnamontop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,137 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Cinnamon + lemontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,950 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Rice + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,374 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rice
- Softens and thickens as it absorbs liquid, giving the pudding its body.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid that the rice absorbs, and adds creaminess and richness.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps give the finished pudding its soft, tender texture.
The step that matters
Cooking the rice in milk over moderate heat. Milk scorches easily on the bottom of a pot, and the rice keeps absorbing liquid as it thickens. Gentle heat and frequent stirring prevent sticking and burning, and help the rice cook evenly until it is soft.
Swap the mint
The recipe marks mint as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, milk, cinnamon, sugar, lemon):
- Cardamomfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Gingerfits better
- Mintthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against rice, milk, cinnamon, sugar, lemon. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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