Dessert Bowls with OXO - Chia and Forbidden Rice Pudding with grilled fruits.

When it comes to new kitchen gadgets, I make no bones of it, I have a weakness. I love them, some fall by the wayside ass I fall out, and with some, its an enduring relationship as I depend upon them for my daily cooking. I's not often that I get to extol about kitchen gadgets used in daily cooking, because this blog is not about what I cook daily for my family (although my Instagram feed does take care of that).

Oxo's latest product campaign just upped the ante in the utility category and I ended up using the products on a regular basis before the recipe actually became a reality.
The package arrived with a colander bowl, a hand held mandoline and a grape/tomato cutter.

Since rice is a daily staple, I put the rice & grain  colander to full use from day one. the perforations on the gadgets are small enough to hold in the tiniest of seeds such as quinoa and the wining feature is the perforations added on the pouring spout that drains of residual water with an extra bit of efficiency. I wish I had a good enough shot of the chia seeds that I rinsed for the recipe. but, moist chia seeds are not really photogenic.

The Mandolin is a must have implement. A gadget designed for home cooks that matches up to professional mandolins.

It comes with seven settings from slices thick enough for making gratins to almost translucent paper thin . Any thinner setting and I'd probably be ordering a  micrometer gauge to measure my slices of beets & turnips. Even fussy, non conventional fruits like pineapples were no match for the slicing abilities of this gadget. In addition to a safety guard, this mandoline has a locking safety feature that ensures that the blade isn't exposed for any potential mishap while stored away.

Last but not the least, the grape and tomato cutter, a tool for small fruits and vegetables such as pitted olives, grapes and tomatoes. this spring loaded cutter neatly quarters into small wedges. It's perfect for salads.

The contours are designed to curve around your fingers and its a breeze to clean, The added bonus - my kids were arguing about who gets to dice the grapes for the final recipe. Its quite kid friendly with proper supervision.

You can take these words to the bank that I will be using these tools regularly for future blog posts.

It was a toss up between a savory breakfast or a dessert, since the theme had to be a dish presented in a bowl. Even though I had used these tools for other breakfast dishes like steel cut oats upma Oats Upma, It wasn't as photogenic in terms of the color. A beautiful contrast of a light lavender from the purple forbidden rice and sunshine yellow from the mango puree that the chia seeds are hydrated with.
And so the final recipe that showcases these amazing kitchen gadgets is a rather hearty, yet elegant dessert. The tough purple forbidden rice is packed with healthy flavanoids and Chia is, of course a super food, packed with Omega 3 fatty acids, anti-oxidants and fiber.

Chia and Forbidden Rice Pudding with grilled fruits

You need:

1/2 cup forbidden rice

2 cups water

1 can condensed milk

2 cups low fat milk

1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder

1/4 cup Chia seeds

2 cups (16 fl. oz) mango puree

Pineapple slices as needed

Purple seedless grapes.

Rinse and drain the forbidden rice well and soak with plenty of water to completely submerge the grain. Leave to hydrate overnight. The next day, add 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat and cook until the grains get easily squished when pressed between the thumb and finger. Purple rice has a thick outer covering that that takes its time to soften, so be prepared for about 30 - 45 minutes of cooking. Mash the grains roughly with the back of a spoon. 

Whisk together the condensed milk and the low fat milk and heat in a heavy bottom saucepan. add the mashed rice and simmer on a medium heat. Using an Immersion blender, blend the rice until the entire mixture turns into a light purple color. Add the cardamom powder and allow to simmer for an extra 10 minutes. Transfer to a container, cover and allow to chill. the mixture will thicken significantly and the cardamom infuses into the entire bowl of pudding.

Rinse the chia seeds and transfer immediately into a large glass container. Pour the mango pulp over the seeds and stir with a spoon so that the seeds do not form lumps. Allow to hydrate overnight in the fridge.

The next day, prep the pineapple by removing the hard peel and coring out the 'eyes'. Cut into 4 wedges and remove the central core. Set the mandolin at the '4' setting (the thickest) and slice. Wash & cut the grapes.

Heat a cast iron pan and  place the pineapple slices on the pan, allow to caramelize on one side for about 2-3 minutes before turning over and grilling the other.

To Assemble :
Spoon the chilled rice pudding into  glass bowls  and smooth over the surface. Gently spoon the mango and chia seeds mixture over the purple rice pudding. If you prefer, add some extra mango puree over the chia. Top up with the diced grapes and finish with bits of the grilled pineapple. Serve chilled.

A big thank you to OXO and Ms. Veronica Chan for the opportunity to test and showcase these fantastic gadgets.

Bon Appetit!