Happy Lunar New Year! This year’s celebratory dessert was the product of many firsts. First time cooking black forbidden rice, first dessert in the (new) pressure cooker and first batch of rice pudding. The result was a warm, comforting, lightly sweet, simple yet crowd pleasing dessert. This doubles easily, if your pot is big enough, and can be served in a large serving dish (warm or cold) or in mini – jars. Sky is the limit with topping options, I opted for mango and pomegranate (red and yellow colors) with toasted coconut and you could add spices to pudding like cardamom.  You could even just cook the rice and stop there as a uber fast route to a nutty side dish. Forbidden rice takes forever to make, as it needs 8-24 hours just to soak (hence why I had not previously done).

For Lunar New Year, I always bring dessert to ensure there is a perfect sweet treat to end the feast. If you know me, you have heard my rant about Asian desserts (beans. really?) Past Lunar dessert recipes include:

• Pineapple Upside Down Cake 
• Madame Wong’s Steamed Pear
• Creme Brûlée in Jars

I pressure cook in a stovetop All American canner/cooker but this will work just fine in your electric pressure cooker as well. This recipe is based on Pressure Cooking Today’s version based on NY Times so it must be good. And it is.

Forbidden Black Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

• 1 cup black rice, rinsed, but no need to soak
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cup light coconut milk (1 can 15 oz)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Instructions

1. Mix black rice, water, butter and salt in pressure cooker.
2. Lock the lid per your pot specs and select 15/place weight or program pot to High Pressure.  
3. Let pot reach goal pressure and then cook for 22 minutes. Set a timer!
4. After the cook time, let the pot sit and use a natural pressure release method for 10 minutes (aka in stove top just let it sit and watch the gauge go down). After 10 minutes, safely release any remaining pressure by opening away from you.
5. Open pressure cooker and ooh and ah at the miracle of pressure cooked black rice. Fluff it up with a fork.
6. Pour in half of the coconut milk  (about 3/4 cups) and sugar and mix with cooked rice.
7. For electric cookers, select  your version of ‘saute’ or for stovetop, turn stove to medium/medium low heat. Heat and stir occasionally until  sugar is dissolved. The milk with turn purple too.
8. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, remaining 3/4 cup coconut milk with vanilla extract until well combined; Pour through a fine mesh strainer (or don’t, the world is still turning) into the pot. KEY! Stir constantly while pouring in and until mixture just starts to boil.  Otherwise you will have scrambled eggs with rice.
9. Once boiling, reduce heat to barely a simmer if you would like to keep warm and thicken a little more. Just remember it will thicken as it cools.
10. You can serve this straight from the warm pressure cooker or chill for later. Let it cool before putting in fridge though. If you like it more creamy but will need to cool, add more coconut milk to reach desired consistency then cool.
11. If you want to serve in little jars, I use the the 1/2 pint Ball jars filled with about 1/2 to 3/4 headspace or just below the threads. This recipe will make 12 jars.
12. Top as you see fit! And Enjoy!

Thank you for the confidence! http://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/forbidden-black-rice-pudding-with-dried-cherries/