Why it works: Rice and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,374 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Milk Puddings
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the pudding base
Wash the rice or sago and place it in a saucepan with the milk.
Simmer until the milk thickens.
Add the sugar and flavouring, then stir in the well-beaten egg.
Bake and serve
Pour the mixture into a slightly greased pie dish.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 20 to 30 minutes.
Dredge with sugar and serve.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
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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Rice + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,374 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Rice + sugartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,744 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rice or sago
- Starch swells as it simmers in the milk, thickening the pudding and giving it body.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid that cooks the grain and sets into a soft, creamy texture.
- Egg
- Coagulates as it bakes, binding the pudding so it sets rather than staying runny.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and, when dredged on top, browns lightly in the oven heat.
The step that matters
Simmering the milk with the rice or sago. Milk contains sugars and proteins that scorch and stick to the base of a pan over direct heat. Keeping the heat low and stirring often prevents burning and lets the starch cook evenly and thicken the milk.
“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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