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Grandma Sadie’s Gatnabour

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A bowl full of rice pudding.

Grandma Sadie’s Glorious Gatnabour

July 23, 2026 0 Comments

My mom’s mom, Sadie Alexander, was an excellent cook. Unfortunately, she died when I was a baby, so I don’t remember any of her marvelous dinner parties. Her classic recipe for gatnabour (rice pudding) was carried forward by my mom and perfected by my brother Eddie Marashian. It’s a wonderful dessert, if you can wait that long! (We never could, and we still can’t, so we always cheat and have a small bowl for breakfast, alongside chorag and eggs on special occasions.) Topped with cinnamon, it’s high up on my list of favorite comfort foods.

Grandma Sadie’s Glorious Gatnabour

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Yield:

6-8 servings

Prep time:

10 minutes

Cook time:

40 minutes + 2 hours to cool

Total time:

3 hours

INGREDIENTS

1	cup long grain white rice
½	gallon whole milk
1	cup sugar
1	tsp vanilla
	Cinnamon to taste

EQUIPMENT

Large pot
Large spoon

INSTRUCTIONS

1.	Place a large pot on the stove and add the milk and rice.
2.	Turn your stove’s burner onto high and begin to stir.
3.	Add the sugar and continue stirring slowly as the mixture comes to a boil.
4.	Before you get to a rolling boil, turn the heat down to a medium-low.
5.	Continue stirring as the rice pudding cooks, to avoid the rice sticking or burning.
6.	It should take approximately 40 minutes of simmering for the mixture to thicken.
7.	You’ll know it’s ready when the spoon begins to form a trail as it passes through the rice.
8.	Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
9.	Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. (To prevent a skin from forming, be sure your plastic wrap directly touches the pudding, leaving no air in between the pudding and the wrap.)
10.	Set aside to cool for at least 2 hours before serving.
11.	Top with cinnamon before serving.

NOTES

1.	Rice pudding needs to be constantly stirred, or it will burn, so don’t make this unless you have time to stand in one place and slowly stir. Like so many kitchen endeavors, it can be relaxing and meditative if we allow ourselves the time and space.

CATEGORY

DESSERTS & COCKTAILS

KEYWORDS

Armenianfood, RicePudding

IF YOU TRY THIS RECIPE...

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| Azadig Choreg

Azadig Bidanian’s Village Choreg

Azadig’s Village Choreg is my husband’s favorite. This version of the classic Armenian breakfast bread contains no sugar, but you won’t miss it because the mahaleb (mahleb) adds wonderful flavor. And of course, there’s also the flavor of love - imparted by the hands that mix, knead, and shape the dough. As Azadig says, “the hand is the taste.” Learn from the master herself at
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| Mark’s Lamb Tri-Tip

Mark Arax’s Original Lamb Tri-Tip

NYT Cooking columnist Mark Bittman made this recipe famous! Here you will find the original recipe using lamb tri-trip sirloin. If you are able to source this cut of meat, ask your butcher to leave it untrimmed so you can enjoy the full effect!

Grandma Sadie’s Glorious Gatnabour

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Yield: 6-8 servings

Prep time: Marinate overnight (12 hours)

Cook time: 30 minutes

Total time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS 2lamb tri-tip steaks, approximately 1 lb. each ½tsp. kosher salt ½tsp. freshly ground pepper ½tsp. garlic powder ½cup fresh rosemary, removed from stems ½cup balsamic vinegar 1cup olive oil

EQUIPMENT Outdoor grill Glass Pyrex dish Fork or whisk

INSTRUCTIONS 1.Place the steaks in a non-reactive glass dish. 2.Rub each steak with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. 3.In a bowl, mix the vinegar and oil, using a fork or whisk to emulsify 4.Add the rosemary to the marinade and mix 5.Pour the marinade over the meat 6.Cover and let sit overnight 7.The next day, bring the meat to room temperature before grilling. 8.Grill to your desired temperature. 9.Let your meat rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

NOTES 1. As mentioned in step 2, my grandma taught me to boil the coffee twice to achieve foam. In her day and circles, the ability to make foam was considered a favorable trait in prospective brides. Therefore, as a young women serving guests, she worked hard to create enough foam to extend to every cup. When I discussed this with Zee during our apprenticeship, she said foam was seen as a sign of laziness and only boiled her coffee once. I cannot account for these differences, but it would be great if someone in our community could!

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SIDE DISHES
| Eddie’s Perfect Pilaf

Eddie Marashian’s Perfect Pilaf

My brother is the third in a line of Edwards. My grandpa was called Ed Sr; my dad is known as Eddie; and my brother is affectionately known as Eddie Boy. A wizard in the kitchen, Eddie Boy has faithfully preserved and even upgraded many of our family recipes. His recipe for rice pilaf was originally my mom’s, with enhancements that have made it foolproof. So, if you’re looking for one pilaf recipe that comes out perfect every time, look no further.

Grandma Sadie’s Glorious Gatnabour

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Yield: 4-5 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS 1 cup of Uncle Ben’s Parboiled rice ½ cup crushed vermicelli 3 cups of chicken broth, preferably Swanson’s Original Salted butter

EQUIPMENT Large saucepan Wooden spoon

INSTRUCTIONS 1.Melt 1.5 tbsp. butter in pan over med-high heat. 2.Add the vermicelli and sauté until brown, being careful not to let the vermicelli burn. 3.Once the pasta has browned, immediately add rice and stir the rice to coat every kernel with butter until it glistens and becomes translucent. 4.Add the broth and bring to a boil. 5.Once it’s boiling, cover and bring down to a simmer on medium-low heat. 6.Let it simmer for 18-20 min or until all the broth is absorbed. 7.Remove from heat and add 4-5 tbsp of butter, cut into pats, and dot them around. 8.Return the lid to the pot and let it sit for a few minutes while the butter melts. 9.Use a large fork to fluff the pilaf, but don’t stir it. (Stirring it will make it starchy.)

NOTES 1.If you don’t have vermicelli, you can use hand-crushed angel hair pasta. 2.Poke your spoon down to the bottom of the pot to check that all the liquid has absorbed. The rice should be moist but not wet, and certainly not dry. “Nobody wants bone-dry pilaf,” says Eddie Boy. 3.Taste prior to serving. If you want to add salt or pepper, you can do so now. But, if you used the Swanson’s original broth and the salted butter, the salt amount should already be correct. 4.Our mom served this with cooked peas. You can set them in a little well, right on top of the pilaf, or put them on the side.

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