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Snúður and Coffee
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When my husband and I moved to Iceland,
we were introduced to some new foods. Most of
them are amazing. If you
visit, you must stop at the bakery to buy a snúður
(a giant cinnamon roll) or a kleina
(a twisted, deep-fried donut). Icelandic pylsur (hot dogs) and skyr (a
thick yogurt) have been gaining international attention because they are so
good.
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| Kleinur |
Other foods, though, I find just
gross, to tell the truth. Hákarl (rank, fermented shark) for one, is simply too disgusting for me to
swallow. For a team challenge at summer
camp one year, I tried to swallow the same piece three times. Yes, that was three times. The stubborn thing
just wouldn’t go down. After my third
attempt, I got sympathy points for my team.
Thankfully, most foods taste better than smelly shark.
Icelandic Grjónagraut (rice porridge) is a favorite meal at our house and church. This budget-friendly, simple hot cereal is a great warm breakfast on a cold winter´s morning, a hearty after-school snack, or a sweet treat for supper when the coffers are low at the end of the month. It is neither low-fat nor low-carb, yet somehow no one complains when it is served. One of my sons prefers his cold the next day. Morning or evening, cold or hot, I hope your family enjoys this Icelandic dish.Icelandic Grjónagraut
Rice Porridge
Ingredients:
2 cups water
pinch salt
1 cup dry rice
4 cups milk (Whole milk tastes the best, but any milk will work.)
1 teaspoon vanilla (Optional, but my kids like it better)
Cinnamon-sugar (a simple mix of a little cinnamon and a little more sugar)
Raisins (Stirred in the last few minutes or on the side dry)
Directions:
Place water and a pinch of salt into the pot.
Bring to a boil.
Add dry rice and cover.
Reduce heat to medium or medium-low.
Leave until most of the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
Add milk and vanilla.
Stir.
Reduce heat to low.
Cover and let sit about 20 minutes or until milk is heated through.
Serve with cinnamon-sugar and raisins.
Tips:
Use left over rice to make this the next morning. I just put it in a pot, cover it with milk, add a little vanilla, and heat it on medium-low while the kids get dressed.
6 comments:
Thank you for the very interesting post and the recipe. Here in Romania, rice porridge is also loved by children and their grandparents. It's often served without raisins, but with some chocolate syrup or fruit jam. My girls love it at camp and their friends' house. Now I can try it at home!
The rice porridge sounds good. I live in Japan. I made rice pudding once here and no one would eat it. Rice is not supposed to be sweet to their way of thinking. ;)
We eat rice pudding here in Peru. It is called “Arroz con Leche.” Ours is usually made with condensed milk, cinnamon, and raisins. It is usually served as a dessert - especially at parties!
Wow! I would not have thought of using chocolate syrup. I'll have to let my kids try that. I hope you enjoy it at home!
It's funny what things are "supposed to" be sweet or not. In Iceland, mashed potatoes have sugar added. I am not used to that yet.
With its sweetness, it probably is right to be a dessert. I just found a store recently that sells condensed milk. I was so excited!
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