Blue and coconut sago puddings with smoked sesame seeds [Vegan]

[Update on May 2, 2016: if you don’t want puddings, mould these and make little cakes of ’em! Scroll down-down to see how.]

This was a serendipitous case of working with only what ingredients were on hand, to create a dessert that pleased everyone.

There were people coming to dinner. A meal had to be made; dessert had to be vegan. It was pouring, so there wasn’t a chance of running to any store–who knew what would be open? This was no MasterChef Pondicherry set-up, but the pressure was on, time was tight, and the possibility of public shaming not precisely absent.

In the pantry was: a small bag of javvarisi (Tamil) / sabudana (Hindi) (or sago: made from the pith of the sago palm or the starch of the tapioca root, depending on who is telling you what that stuff really is), sugar (of course), a coconut (of course!), some sesame seeds (usually), and a few almonds (leftover from what the boys didn’t use up in snacking or putting into granola).

In the fridge was: a bottle of Radha’s consciousness concentrate (by coincidence, not-yet-cardamom-lavender-flavored), and a large jar of strawberry puree, salvaged from the night when someone had left the freezer door open, so the last of the summer’s carefully saved and frozen berries had thawed to mush.

Step 1: Soak your sago

This is the first step, as it takes the longest and there’s no hurrying the soaking. Overnight would be nice, but at least a few hours. For approximately 12 servings, you need 3 cups of sago. Cover with water to fill

Step 2: Extract Coconut Milk

Since there was only a coconut in your pantry and no sitting can of coconut milk, you’d no choice but to perform an extraction. Grate the coconut with a hand-grater or one of these nifty little rotational graters (available in your garden variety Indian store), toss the gratings into your blender with enough water to cover, whirr it a few times, and strain out the liquid, pressing to squeeze out every last bit–this would be your “milk.” Repeat the process once and combine both milks. The result should be fairly rich and creamy. [If you repeat the process a third time, and you well could, save your milk for a cocktail or some other use as by now it will be fairly thin.]

Step 3: Boil the Sago

You divide the sago equally into two separate saucepans of roughly the same size.

From one saucepan, you drain out the water, and add Radha’s consciousness / Butterfly pea concentrate to cover. Bring to a boil, and then simmer uncovered until cooked (you know it’s done when the sago is translucent). If the sago seems to be drying before it’s transluscent, then add a bit of water and mix to see it through.

Simultaneously, you bring the other saucepan to a boil, and simmer until the sago is translucent. Now you add coconut milk to cover and sugar to taste (approximately 1 cup, but start with 3/4 and add to taste). You continue barely simmering and stir until the coconut milk is incorporated well. Fresh coconut milk may break up a little–don’t worry. Just keep mixing, and the result will turn creamy. A teaspoon of vanilla finishes the process.

Wait a few minutes before assembling the puddings, to allow the sago to set just a little. But do assemble the puddings while your pans are still warm. Sabudana, javvarisi, sago, tapioca–these are thirsty little balls. They’ll absorb all you give them to drink and more. You want to assemble when they’re “loose” enough to fill the bottoms of your glass bowls, but not runny enough to get the colored layers mixed up.

Step 4 (Optional): Prepare the strawberry purée

You blend your strawberries with a little sugar to taste. If you haven’t a batch salvaged from a freezer blooper, then use 1 fresh strawberry per serving (12, approximately), and blend them with just enough sugar to sweeten (a few spoons). Add a drop or two of vanilla. Set aside.

Step 5 (Could be done a day ahead, at soaking time): Prepare the garnishes

Two steps to a garnish: smoking sesame, and slicing toasted almonds.

You’ll not pretend you can actually smoke sesame seeds, but you can certainly get them as close to smoking as possible. This takes some care. You’ll place a few teaspoons of sesame seeds in a heavy pan and toast carefully until the seeds are browning well. Turn off the heat, cover, and leave to cool for a few minutes. Repeat the process–this time waiting until the seeds are very nearly smoking. And one last time. Then set aside to cool fully.

In the same pan, you toast as many almonds as you have serving dishes: 1 per dish. Once they’ve browned and cooled, you slice them with a sharp knife. Precision isn’t as important as getting a few long shapes from each almond that you will use to stick atop your puddings for a final flourish.

Step 6: Assemble the Puddings

Set out 12 small serving dishes. Your’s are from Libbey “Just desserts” mini bowls, but really any small clear glass dishes will do. If you’re using the strawberry purée, then it goes in first, becoming the bottom layer. If not, just start with the white coconut-creamy tapoica, and then the blue. You work slowly, making sure the layers and colors stay distinct.

If you want, switch the colors: red, blue, then white. Put a blue dot on top of the white. Or a white on top of the blue. It’s really all up to you.

Grab a few almond slivers and try to set them upright at the top of your puddings. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

These puddings are best served warm, and as soon as they’re assembled. If you’re keeping them on hold for any length of time, it’s best to assemble the cooked sago when it’s still on the runny side. Alternatively, sweeten a little thick coconut milk to taste, warm it gently, and pour a spoonful into each pudding cup just before you serve.

Update, May 2, 2016

Don’t have so many little pudding cups? Don’t want puddings? Use small-sized spring-form pans to mould these into rounds, so you get sago cakes out of them. 

• For this, you’ll need a more “set” tapioca, so let the blue and coconut mixtures cool in their pans until they seem like they are setting (becoming more jelly-like and glutinous).
• Prep your springform mould with a small bit of parchment paper (if you’d rather not cut and serve the cakes directly from the base of the pan)
• Then assemble them as above (coconut tapioca at the bottom, blue on top), cover, and refrigerate–preferably overnight, or at least 5-6 hours.
• Take them out any earlier and the cakes may ooze like the puddings they really are, or may be too messy to slice and serve. You’ll have neither of those problems if you are patient and let the thirsty little tapioca balls absorb any excess liquid and firm up!
• To un-mould and finish: run a knife around the outer edges, ease off the springform mould, and garnish as above with sesame and almonds.
• Et voila!