Peruvian Chancaca Rice Pudding (Arroz Zambito)
A deeply spiced rice pudding turned dark and glossy with chancaca (unrefined cane sugar), enriched with coconut and raisins. A classic Afro-Peruvian sweet, best finished with a scatter of toasted sesame seeds.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Rinse the rice
Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water until the water runs clear. This removes surface starch so the pudding does not turn gluey.
- 200 g white rice
✅ Done when: the rinsing water runs clear
Half-cook with spices
Put the rinsed rice in a large heavy pot (at least 4 litres, since it must later hold all the liquid) with 500 ml of the water, the cinnamon stick, cloves, anise seeds and orange peel. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 12-15 minutes.
- 200 g rinsed rice
- 500 ml water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 tsp anise seeds
- 1 strip orange peel
✅ Done when: the water is mostly absorbed and the rice is still a little firm in the centre
Melt the chancaca
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Combine and simmer
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Add coconut and raisins
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Rest and serve
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Rinse the rice
Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water until the water runs clear. This removes surface starch so the pudding does not turn gluey.
- 200 g white rice
✅ Done when: the rinsing water runs clear
Half-cook with spices
Put the rinsed rice in a large heavy pot (at least 4 litres, since it must later hold all the liquid) with 500 ml of the water, the cinnamon stick, cloves, anise seeds and orange peel. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 12-15 minutes.
- 200 g rinsed rice
- 500 ml water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 tsp anise seeds
- 1 strip orange peel
✅ Done when: the water is mostly absorbed and the rice is still a little firm in the centre
Melt the chancaca
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Combine and simmer
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Add coconut and raisins
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Rest and serve
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
The Story Behind the Dish
Arroz zambito grew out of the sugar-cane haciendas of coastal Peru, where enslaved and freed Africans worked the cane fields and developed much of what is now called Afro-Peruvian cuisine. Chancaca, the dark, unrefined sugar left after boiling down cane juice, became the sweetener of everyday desserts because it was cheap, abundant and deeply flavourful.
The dessert is closely tied to Lima's Afro-Peruvian communities and is traditionally sold and eaten during religious processions, especially around the Lord of Miracles celebrations in October, alongside turrón de Doña Pepa.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Its dark colour, caramel-molasses depth and warm spice make it one of the most distinctive rice puddings in Latin America, and a point of pride in Afro-Peruvian cooking.
💡 Fun Fact
The name "zambito" is thought to reference the dark colour the chancaca gives the rice, echoing the colonial-era term "zambo" used for people of mixed African and Indigenous heritage.
Coastal Peru, especially Lima and Ica
-12.05°S, -77.04°W
Related recipes
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!