Ginataang Mais (Coconut Milk Rice Pudding with Sweet Corn)

We've had some crazy weather here in my corner of the world.  It's been unseasonably cool all summer long and just as we're heading towards October, we get record dry heat, horrible humidity and then a heavy downpour with thunder and lightning...all in one week!  I guess it's true that we're a little spoiled here in San Diego because any slight change in the weather becomes big news.  But thankfully we're back to normal this week and it has been really nice.  The temperature has cooled down and I'm loving it.  The gray clouds and drizzly rain just makes me want to curl up in the couch and enjoy some warm, comforting food. 

This week, I've been really craving for my grandma's ginataang mais.  It's a creamy rice pudding made with coconut milk and dotted with kernels of golden sweet corn.  I remember when I was a kid, she would make a huge pot of it whenever it was cold and rainy in the Philippines.  It was definitely not fun to be stuck inside all day when it was typhoon season, but a hot steaming bowl of ginataang mais surely made up for it. 



With the weather being so damp and dreary, I figured it's the perfect time to make some quick and easy comfort food.  As with all of my grandma's recipes, she didn't measure her ingredients.  Whenever I'd ask her, "Lola, exactly how much are you using?," she would always reply, "Just taste it and adjust your mixture until it tastes right." So I tried to put together a recipe that is as close to her version but with measured ingredients.  I used canned corn (cream style and whole kernels) instead of fresh corn only because it's so much easier to use and they're readily available in most grocery stores. And I wasn't about to make my own coconut milk from fresh coconuts so I just used canned coconut milk.

This delicious dessert tastes so good when it's piping hot, but it also tastes wonderful when it's served cold :-)

Ginataang Mais (Coconut Milk Rice Pudding with Sweet Corn)
Makes 8 to 10 servings

1 can cream style corn, about 2 cups
1 can whole sweet corn kernels (including the liquid), about 2 cups
1 cup sweet rice, sticky rice, glutinous rice, or Calrose rice
2 cans coconut milk, about 4 cups
3 cups water
3/4 to 1 cup sugar*

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to medium and let it simmer. Stir occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom. Cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the rice is cooked.

 (If you want, you can replace the two cans of corn with 3-4 ears of fresh corn.  Just cut the kernels off the cob with a knife and scrape the cob with a spoon to get the corn "milk")

*This is really up to you and your tastebuds. You can start with 3/4 cup of sugar and just add more later. Like my grandma says, just taste it and adjust until it tastes right :-)