ごまプリン (Sesame pudding)

Since Andy is away, I decided to have another Japanese treat for myself. This time, Sesame pudding;)

This Japanese style pudding is super easy to make. In fact it's the same process as the green tea pudding I made the other day but with different ingredients.

I added a couple of table spoon of sesame paste instead of green tea powder and replaced soy milk to water (if you want the pudding to be richer, then using soy milk is perfectly fine). To make the pudding even more Japanesey, I put some black bean paste (I'll post how to make it soon. For now, here is a similar one...Azuki) and dates syrup on top.

....!....!!...!!! This was good! Really good! This is the kind of dessert I could easily have every day. Aah, I'm lucky that I have one more left in the fridge for tomorrow... aah, what a pudding...

Green tea pudding

I haven't had Japanese stuff for a little while and seeing my mum adding a photo of Japanese food on Facebook made me miss a taste of home...

So..., I searched cupboards and found green tea powder that my mum got for me from Japan. Great! Since I have THIS demanding baby in my arms, I decided to make green tea pudding in a super easy way.

Not only is this pudding easy to make but also it doesn't have mike or eggs, so it's good for those who have dietary issues with them. And of course, it's yummy. ;D

The smooth pudding and rich green tea flavour was just what I needed to satisfy my Japanese food craving...

You can use normal milk instead of soy milk if you prefer...;

Green tea powder 1tbsp

Sugar 1tbsp

Soy milk 200g

Corn flour 1 1/2 tbsp

1. Combine all the ingredients in a sauce pan and mix well.

2. Cook over a low heat until the mixture thickens.

3. Pour the mixture into a cup. Let it set in the fridge.

Dessert for a Japanese night...

Last night friend of mine from Japan (Oh, her name is also Yumiko!), who is currently traveling the world came around stayed with us. Because she spent last 9 months in South America, I thought she must be missing Japanese food.... So, I made a very Japanese dinner for us;)

Japanese curry with some sticky Japanese rice, and of course Japanese dessert! A sort of green tea pudding... The reason I said "sort of" is because it's not like usual egg based pudding...

I used almond paste powder and gelatin to set the pudding, which gave the pudding a very unique texture. It was like pudding, jelly and bit of mochi in one... Hum, addictive... We had it with sweetened soy powder, きなこ(Kinako), which for us "Just like Japan"....

Hope my friend, Yumiko-san, felt a bit of Japan before moving on to another place... :D

Ingredients;

Almond paste powder 3 tbsp

Gelatin 1 tsp

Water 450 ml

Green tea powder 2 tsp

1. Boil water. Add almond paste powder and mix well.

2. Combine green tea powder and a few tsp of water and make a paste.

3. Add 2 into 1 and mix well.

4. When it the liquid becomes little sticky, turn the heat off and sprinkle gelatin in. Mix well.

5. Cool it in the fridge until it's set.

Majarete

Majarete is a very smooth and delicate pudding from Dominican Republic. This sweet corn dessert has got the natural sweetness and the starchy texture from the corn, which is very addictive.

Traditionally this pudding is made from corn cobs, but this time I used a shortcut with a tinned cream of corn... (call me lazy... but I did make an effort of straining the mixture to make the pudding nice and smooth!)

After cooling it in the fridge, the pudding was nicely set but still very smooth when I put a spoon in. It was literally melt-in-mouth...  It is such a delicate dessert, and so addictive that I, in fact, couldn't help having another cup!

To see the recipe, visit The World of Sweets Recipes, Dominican Republic.

30 seconds dessert

Tonight was one of those nights I have crazy cravings for desserts as my dinner. This happens time to time with no reasons... Does anyone have the same thing as me?

Unfortunately, I couldn't get a chance to make any cakes or desserts during the day today. However, I knew there were some goodies in the fridge... Ready-made pudding and Mango kulfi from other day! I say "ready-made", but of course, they were made by me;)

So..., quickly put kulfi on top of the pudding and sprinkle some mixed nuts, seeds and berries. In less than 30 second, I've got a pretty dessert in front of me. Hopefully, this will give me a nice sugar supply and let me have a good night sweet dreams...;D

Super simple pudding

Egg yolks were left aside quietly because they didn't make it into those macha financiers I made yesterday. There are quite few things you can do with egg yolk such as turning them into nice home-made custard, egg tarts, ice creams, cookies... but they can be a little time consuming... (Oh, don't get me wrong, I love those time consuming process too!)

Basically, after the financiers I've cleaned up all the tools, so the last thing I wanted to do was do those washing up and cleaning up again late at night....

My choice for saving those left-alone egg yolks were... Pudding! Yes that's it, a super easy peasy one! All you need is mix, put them in the oven, sit back and relax while you wait. With so little effort, you get a smooth creamy slightly nutty pudding. Not bad, huh?

Ingredients;

Egg yolk 3

Almond milk 250 ml

Maple sugar 1 tbsp

1. Preheat the oven to 200º. Mix all the ingredients together.

2. Pour 1 into pudding cups. Place the cups in a baking pan. Pour water in the pan until the water reaches to half the height of the cups.

3. Place the pan in the preheated oven (200º). Bake for 45 minutes.

4. Cool them in the fridge. 

Wattalapam

So far, I've already tried some puddings for The World of Sweets. Here is another one from Sri Lanka called "Wattalapam". It's a spicy coconut custard pudding.

Ooh, I loved it... this might be the best pudding I've ever tasted... huh? do I always say the same thing when I eat a pudding?... well, who cares, it's just so simply GOOD!  ops sorry, I got bit too excited...

Every spoonful you'll be hit by the spices and the sweetness of raisins hidden in the smooth coconut custard. And of course, don't forget the golden syrup. This guy really plays an important role here since it adds more character to the already-rich pudding;)

To see the recipe, visit The World of Sweets Recipes, Sri Lanka.

豆花 (Douhua, Tofu pudding)

Asian dessert Part 2, a Taiwanese pudding called 豆花 (Douhua).  It is one of the simplest Asian dessert we can try at home. Although I describe this dessert as a pudding, it's not like those eggy puddings such as creme brulee but more like panna cotta.

There is an interesting ingredient in the recipe, which is... "Agar, in Taiwanese, 菜燕 (Chhai-ian)". It's a gelatious substance made from particular plants. Agar is similar to gelatin, but since it's from plants instead of animal, it is suitable for vegetarians. Agar is also low in calorie and high in fiber... sounds good huh? And... don't forget about the soy milk! It's usually known to be a healthy alternative to cow milk. So..., this Taiwanese treat is not only easy to make but also seems to be good for our health too:)

The rich flavour of soy and smooth texture melted away in my mouth and the sweet brown syrup followed them into my stomach... This is the dessert to have after a big meal;)

To see the recipe, visit The World of Sweets Recipes, Taiwan.

Tapioca banana pudding

Next few weeks, I'm borrowing my mum's kitchen to try out some Asian recipes (and of course, some sweets from other places too;D). So..., we're going to start with a full of exotic flavour and texture, Tapioca Banana Pudding!

Those dried tapioca that we find in super markets look quite different when it's cooked. When I put the tapioca in a pot, I knew I shouldn't put too much because it will soak up water and get bigger (A bit like pop corns in a way....) However, I couldn't help myself and put a little too much and ended up a pot full of tapioca! Anyway, I love its' unique texture popping in my mouth. Humm, yum yum;)

This is called pudding but it's not like the egg based pudding such as creme brulee or caramel pudding. Tapioca pudding is more like a thick soup. Bananas and tapioca give this desserts a real stickiness and coconut milk brings all together.

The Tapioca pudding recipe is not too strict. Adjust the sweetness as you like as well as the amount of bananas;)

To see the recipe, visit The World of Sweets Recipe, Cambodia.