Vietnamese Coconut Tapioca "Soup" Pudding

I never seem to remember how much I love tapioca puddings. I think it's the texture that makes it so appealing for me personally. A local Vietnamese sandwich shop frequently has a delicious coconut tapioca pudding with bananas, only it's not firm like the tapioca puddings I'm used to; it's much more loose/watery. I finally got around to making my own tonight!

Coconut Tapioca "Soup" Pudding

Coconut Tapioca "Soup" Pudding (Che Chuoi)

Adapted from myRecipes and Food Network

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C water
• 1 14oz can coconut milk
• 6 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 C small tapioca pearls
• 2 large bananas

Method

1. In a medium sized saucepan, combine the water and coconut milk and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add in sugar, salt, and tapioca pearls, stirring to prevent the tapioca from clumping.
2. Turn heat down to low and simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up tapioca pearls.
3. Halve each banana and cut into small 1/4" pieces. Add banana to the pan. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes.

Serve tapioca warm or chill in fridge and serve cold.

I cut down on the sugar, but I think next time I will try with even less sugar, using perhaps 1/4 cup in total. I think this would also be divine served hot with a float of coconut cream over the top.
Update: As this chills, it gets pretty thick and is no longer "soup" like. So if you'd like a more loose pudding when cool, use half the amount of tapioca.

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New Dishes!

I recently went on a mini shopping spree at Daiso Seattle. If you haven't heard of it, Daiso is a Japanese based dollar store of sorts where most things in the store are only $1.50. They sell a little bit of everything, but my favorite is definitely their housewares/dishes. I'd been lusting after some small serving plates and bowls for a while and since local stores are a little too spendy, I made a special trip while on a work trip.

I got a collection of small bowls and plates, plus mini spoons and forks, mini cake pan, ceramic tart pan, powdered sugar sifter, julienne peeler, mini creamer, etc.

I've been using these everyday since I brought them home and I love them! Dishwasher, microwave, and oven safe AND cheap enough to not fret if they happen to break./

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Coconut Cream Oatmeal

Improvisation sometimes leads to inspired creations in the kitchen which is pretty exciting when it turns out for the better. This "recipe" came together this morning when I reached for some cream to top my oatmeal only to discover it had gone bad (serves me right for keeping it around for over a month!). Luckily I had just opened a pack of coconut cream I used to make ice cream just yesterday.

It's a simple idea really: use coconut cream to top oatmeal instead of dairy cream. Coconut cream is thicker than regular cream which I quite enjoyed. A little bit decadent in itself, I also added a few more toppings to my oatmeal: fresh flaxseed meal, pecan pieces, and a drizzle of maple syrup. Yum!

Oatmeal with coconut cream

You can see in the picture that the coconut cream gets a little melty and starts to blend in with the toppings. It also adds a subtle hint of coconut flavor, adding a slight twist to your standard morning bowl of oats.

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Lavender Cinnamon Simple Syrup + Soda

I made this syrup to drizzle over a simple cake I made on a whim. I spotted a jar of lavender in my pantry and ran with the inspiration! I must admit, while I've had that jar in my pantry and have several stashed recipes that call for lavender, this was my first time actually using lavender (though not the first time tasting it). This syrup is a little florally and a little spicy from the cinnamon and I love it! I'm even enjoying a glass of lavender cinnamon soda as I type :)

Lavender Cinnamon Simple Syrup

Ingredients

• 1/4 C water
• 1/4 C sugar
• 1/4 tsp food grade lavender
• 1 cinnamon stick

Method

1. In a small saucepan, combine the ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for no more than 5 minutes.
2. Remove cinnamon stick and strain solids. Note: I like to keep the lavender flowers if using over a cake as the flowers act as a bit of a garnish.

Serving ideas

• Drizzle over an entire cake or individual slices to add an extra layer of flavor and moisture.
• Serve as a soda drink by combining 1 tbsp syrup per 6oz club soda.
• Sweeten up a glass of iced or hot tea.
• Swirl into a yogurt and granola parfait.

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Multigrain Rice

I've had a 1kg bag of a special 6 grain blend rice in my pantry for probably a year now, using it ever so often when I wanted something different from plain white or brown rice. I used the last of it not too long ago and then set out to make my own version, hoping to never go without it again. The rice has a great, hearty texture to it and a gorgeous purple color from the black Forbidden rice that stains the rice as it cooks.

The Kagayaki 6 Grain Rice I had contained black rice, purple barley, hulless barley, rye berries, red rice, and short grain brown rice. Quite a variety to hunt down in a bulk food section. Unfortunately, while I wasn't able to source all the exact ingredients at my local store, I came out with a pretty nice variety and the result is just as delicious and pretty as the original. Feel free to mix up your own variety, though I recommend to keep the black rice for color.

Hand-blended Multigrain Rice

Multigrain Rice

Ingredients

• Short grain brown rice
• Spelt berries
• Red hard winter wheat berries
• Pearled barley
• Black (forbidden) rice

Method

1. In a large bowl or container, combine equal parts of each ingredient and stir until well blended.
2. To cook, combine 1 part rice to 1.5-2 parts water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until water is absorbed. Alternatively, cook in a rice cooker. Fluff with fork before serving.

So far I've had this rice a couple times since making it up and I really love it. I can see this quickly becoming my new standard "brown" rice!

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