Serves: 6
Total Calories: 308

1/2 cup raw rice
water to cover
1 1/2 cups almonds
6 cups water
water
1/2 cup sugar
pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Wash raw rice. Soak overnight in water to cover. Then drain well.

2. Blanch almonds. Grind almonds and rice to a fine powder, either by hand (with a mortar and pestle), or in a food mill.

3. Place mixture in a bowl. Add the second quantity of water and let stand 1 hour then stir thoroughly.

4. Strain mixture through a double thickness of cheesecloth into the top of a double boiler. Gather together corners of the cheesecloth, and squeeze the remaining liquid into the pan.

5. Boil remaining water in the lower half of the double boiler then reduce heat to medium. Cook almond-rice mixture over it, stirring until it thickens. (During this period, "milk" the cheesecloth into the pan several times.)

6. Next stir in sugar, salt and vanilla extract to dissolve then turn up heat to bring mixture quickly to a boil. Serve hot, in small bowls.

NOTE: This tea, which has the consistency of custard, is a wonderful snack on cold days.

VARIATIONS:
* Omit the rice, salt and vanilla extract. In the top of the double boiler, blend to a smooth, thick paste the ground almonds, 4 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cup cold water. Then stir in 1 large can of evaporated milk and 6 more cups water. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally.
* Omit step 3. Combine ground almonds and rice in a saucepan with the sugar and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil then simmer, covered, 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pick up step 6, adding the salt and vanilla extract.
* In step 5 add to the almond-rice mixture, 12 Chinese red dates which have been cooked in 1 to 2 cups boiling water until soft (about 20 minutes), then pureed through a fine sieve or ricer to remove the skins and pits.

The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 6
Total Calories: 308
Calories from Fat: 151

More Recipes from the Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook Cookbook:
*Sweet Dishes
Almond Cookies
Almond Float I
Almond Float II
Banana Gelatin
Eight Precious Pudding
Eight Precious Pudding: Fruit and Nut Combinations
Eight Precious Pudding: Sweetened Water
Ginger Soup
Ginger Soup: Dumplings
Glazed Chestnut Balls
Glazed Whole Chestnuts
Green Pea Pudding
Honeyed Apples
Honeyed Apples: Syrup Mixture A
Honeyed Apples: Syrup Mixture B
Honeyed Apples: Syrup Mixture C
Honeyed Bananas
Honeyed Crab Apples
Hot Lotus Tea
Peking Dust I
Peking Dust II
Peking Dust: Glazed Fruit
Pineapple Gelatin
Sesame Seed Cookies
Spiced Roasted Peanuts
Steamed Pears
Steamed Red Date Cake
Steamed Sponge Cake
Sugared Chestnut Balls
Sugared Walnuts
Sweet Almond Tea I
Sweet Almond Tea II
Sweet Almond Tea III
Sweet Grapefruit Tea
Sweet Orange Tea I
Sweet Orange Tea II
Sweet Peanut Soup
Sweet Pineapple Tea
Sweet Walnut Tea
Sweetened Water
Turkish Barley Pudding
Water Chestnut Pudding