Name: Cardamom Rice Pudding with Saffron
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 100 g short-grain rice (arborio works); 600 ml whole milk; 3 tbsp honey; 4 cardamom pods (crushed, seeds removed); 1 pinch saffron; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 3 tbsp pistachios (crushed); 10 g butter

Creamy, fragrant rice pudding spiced with cardamom and threaded with saffron. This is the comfort dessert that wraps you in a warm hug.

Every culture has rice pudding and they are all good. This one is my Mediterranean-Middle Eastern mashup — perfumed with cardamom and saffron, sweetened with honey instead of sugar, and topped with toasted pistachios. The secret to great rice pudding is patience. Low heat, constant stirring, and time. The rice releases its starch slowly into the milk, creating that thick, creamy texture without adding any thickener. It is slow food in the best sense. I make this on cold nights when I want some