Third Time's a Charm

As the title suggests, I have finally had success in my rice porridge making endeavors.  Rice porridge is a common Finnish dish, often appearing on the table around Christmas time.  Most commonly served with cinnamon or lingonberry sauce, this hearty dish takes anywhere from 40 to 60 minutes to prepare (regardless of the 12 to 15 minutes that my rice porridge box suggests).

Now, getting back to my rice porridge making adventure...  Having mastered oatmeal porridge when I was in New Zealand, I thought rice porridge should be no trouble.  How hard can it be to mix three ingredients together?  A little rice, a sprinkle of salt and some water.  This is where I went wrong the first time.  Milk, not water.  My first attempt at rice porridge resulted in a soggy mess which resembled the moors so nicely described in Sherlock Holmes' novels.

Ok, so the first attempt was a bit of a setback, but a few weeks later, it was time to remount that horse.  A little rice, a sprinkle of salt and some milk.  Boil on high for 12 to 15 minutes (as the box suggests...but remember all directions are in Finnish).  About 10 minutes into this adventure, my Finnish flatmate wandered into the kitchen to peer into my pot which was boiling away.  What are you making, she gently asked.  Confidently, I informed her that this was the makings of a rice porridge culinary masterpiece.  Hmmm....maybe you need to turn the heat down a little, she gently remarked.  Attempt two at rice porridge resulted in a sticky mess that resembled small children's fingers after encountering PlayDoh. 

The first two attempts were not in vain.  Valuable lessons were learned.  Use milk, not water.  Boil slowly and don't bother setting a timer.  Again, a few weeks passed until it was time for attempt three.  A little rice, a sprinkle of salt, and some milk.  Simmer on the lowest heat setting until a velvety porridge is produced.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and douse with a good helping of milk.  Success.  Hyvää ruokahalua.  (Enjoy your meal.)