In New York we discovered an ingredient that changes everything: coconut milk. And here is our recipe with lots of tips
I have prepared the thousand times chia pudding for breakfast and snack, but never, I never say I had made a good one like the one I tasted a couple of weeks ago in New York in a delightful little place south of Manhattan.
The special ingredient was the coconut milk.
Needless to say, as soon as I returned to Italy I ran to the supermarket to buy all the supplies to do it and so here is my recipe.
Only three ingredients
The label of the jar that contained this delight reported only three ingredients: coconut milk, chia seeds and agave syrup as a sweetener. Then there were raspberries as decoration.
It was not specified which coconut milk was used, whether dense or very liquid, so I doubted I did a mix of the two.
My advice is to do not use the canned one which is practically almost butter / cream because the fats are concentrated and separated from the liquid part. That's perfect for making coconut whipped cream, which I'll maybe tell you in another recipe.
The ideal is the combination of the one in tetra packs that is generally used for desserts, mixed with the vegetable one for breakfast which is very watery and tasteless.
My recipe for chia pudding with coconut milk
Ingredients
(use any glass as a measuring cup)
Half a glass of chia seeds
Half a glass of liquid coconut milk
Half a glass of thick coconut milk
2-3 tablespoons of agave syrup
Fresh raspberries to decorate
Method
Pour all the ingredients, except the raspberries, into a glass jar with the lid.
Stir and then close properly.
Shake the mixture for a couple of minutes and then let it rest in the refrigerator for at least three hours.
I usually prepare it in the evening before going to bed so it's ready in the morning.
After this time the chia seeds will have released a sort of gel that will make everything soft and creamy like a pudding.
Prepare two single-portion cups and decorate the pudding with fresh raspberries.
More or less creamy depends on you
I like it quite creamy, then scarce with milk. Half a glass yes, but not really.
If you want it lighter instead the half glass must be abundant.
I would not say "by eye" because it would be unprofessional, but I will say "feeling", so to speak.
If I don't have the agave?
Coconut milk is already very tasty if you choose one of excellent quality, but if you want to add a little sweetness and you don't have agave syrup you can use the honey or, much better, it Maple syrup.
But be careful not to overdo it with the quantities because the agave has a very delicate taste while the honey is much more intense syrup.
A greedy variant
To turn chia pudding into a real dessert to end a meal I suggest you add a little teaspoon of bitter cocoa in the mixture before placing it in the refrigerator and decorating with raspberries, dark chocolate chips is coconut flakes.
