For the pudding:
2½ cups whole milk or almond milk
3 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbs. fine corn flour or cornstarch
1/4 cup Carolina Gold Rice, blended to a fine powder (you need 2 Tbs. rice powder)
1/4 cup water
1 cup ground dry roasted cashews, blended to a powder
4 sprigs fresh mint
3 Tbs. whole cashews
For the pomegranate syrup:
1 cup pure pomegranate juice, such as Pom
Combine the milk, sugar, and vanilla extract in a small saucepan over low heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved.
Combine the corn flour, rice powder, and water in a large bowl and mix until it forms a paste. Slowly add the hot milk mixture to the paste, stirring to dissolve it. Transfer everything back to the saucepan.
Add the cashew flour and stir for about two minutes, or until the mixture becomes creamy and thick, like a pudding. Remove from the heat, cool for a bit while stirring, and pour into ramekins. Cover and refrigerate for one hour or up to two days. Serve cool and not cold.
While the pudding is cooling, put the pomegranate juice in a small saucepan and cook for about 20 minutes over low heat, or until it has reduced to a syrup consistency. Cool to room temperature before using.
To serve, drizzle the puddings with the pomegranate syrup and garnish with mint and whole cashews.
Pro Tip: While Bintou N’daw and her mother would powder the rice and the cashews separately for 30 minutes in a big, wooden mortar—“it sounds specifically like a drum call,” she notes—you can also grind them to a powder consistency in a blender. “It was the thing every generation could do together, and it represents our unity.”
Incorporate new flavors in your holiday menus
