This is a lovely creamy non-dairy dessert which leaves you so satisfied and refreshed. The recipe originated from Anna, who made it a few years back. I remember she had made it in one bowl instead of individual glasses and decorated the fruit in the design of a mandala. It was beautiful! She printed out the recipe for me, but it disappeared into the pages of one of my many cookbooks. I came across it the other day, folded and tucked away in one of these pages. It seemed appropriate to make it for our Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) dinner. When we lived in Israel, we would share this evening together with their family for many years. So a little bit of their essence joined us and our dear friends in our celebration. And we celebrated as we would have with them, in the tradition of picking cards for the coming of the New Year.
tapioca pudding
If you don’t like coconut, you could easily replace the coconut with your choice of home-made nut milk and the toasted coconut with nuts. Use any fruit in season or your own favourite combination. The tapioca needs constant attention and involves much stirring, as it can scorch the bottom of the pan, so allow it to keep you focused and patient.
Makes 8 -10 servings
ingredients
2 cans of coconut milk (not light)
filtered water
½ cup small pearl tapioca (not instant)
½ tsp rock salt
⅓ – ½ cup maple syrup, or sweetener of your choice
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
for the topping
1 ripe mango, diced
1 cup pomegranate seeds
½ cup toasted dried shredded coconut
preparation
1. Pour the coconut milk and 1 full can of water (a good way to rinse out all the coconut from the can) into a medium-sized, thick-bottomed pot.
2. Add the tapioca, salt and scrape the vanilla bean along its length with a knife and add the bean “paste”, along with the bean itself to the pot (if using vanilla extract in place of the vanilla bean, stir it in at the very end after the pudding is completely cooked).
3. Over medium heat, slowly bring the mixture just barely to a boil, stirring frequently to prevent sticking at the bottom.
4. Stir in the sweetener, then reduce the heat to medium-low and bring to a gentle simmer, cook, stirring frequently, until the pudding has thickened and the tapioca pearls are completely translucent – 25 – 30 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes. It will thicken as it cools.
6. Remove the vanilla bean and spoon into individual serving bowls. Garnish with fruit and sprinkle with the toasted coconut just before serving. It is surprisingly creamy, light, soothing and refreshing. You can serve warm or chilled. The tapioca tastes its best when served warm.
Goodness shared from Stacey
