Chia coconut pudding

Every now and then I get a craving for rice pudding. But every time, I'd only have a few bites before getting tired of it. Something about the combination of cream and soft rice that makes it hard for me to eat beyond a few spoonfuls. Last week I came down with acute tonsillitis and had a pretty rough few days with fever, chills, muscle aches, and a sore throat. I couldn't eat any solid foods for a few days and that was when I thought about rice pudding. Except I didn't want rice pudding really. I wanted a coconut milk pudding with chia seeds soaked through.

Chia coconut pudding topped with pistachios

I discovered chia seeds a while back and had used it a few times in cakes, like my cranberry lime loaf cake and lemon chia seed cake (recipe to come). I like the texture of these tiny seeds, which reminds me of the pignut seeds I had when I was living in Taiwan. Chia seeds are highly absorbent (more than 12 times its weight in water) and so they are great for baking to help retain moisture and act as a binding agent. They are also good as thickening agents (bye-bye wheat flour and cornstarch!). This chia coconut pudding is simple, requiring only three basic ingredients, and of course, feel free to make it as fancy as you wish! 

Chia coconut pudding topped with pistachios

Ingredients

serves 2

1 C full-fat coconut milk

⅓ C chia seeds

½ tbsp organic honey
nuts & fruits, chopped, optional

Method

1. Mix all ingredients together and divide into 2 glass jars.
2. Let set in the fridge for at least 8 hours till the chia seeds have gelled.
3. Top with fruits and/or nuts and serve immediately.