Recipe #39: tapioca pudding

 I know tapioca pudding is not my original recipe, nor is it a fan favourite, nor do most people even like it. But on an impromptu trip to the grocery store today, with the thought that maybe, just maybe, I would find something special that was not on the grocery list, I happily found a box of classic tapioca pudding:



I was doubly excited to see that a childhood favourite dessert now comes with microwave directions that fit in perfectly with my rubbishy cookery philosophy!

So today’s blog entry isn’t an original recipe, but rather an experimental walk through of the microwave version of the recipe on the box, made EXACTLY AS DIRECTED! 

Ingredients:


Directions:

Let’s follow the directions EXACTLY as written on the box to ensure a happy ending (not that kind of happy ending, get your head out of the gutter!).

Start by lightly beating one egg in our microwaveable dish:


Add the sugar, tapioca, and milk in EXACTLY the proportions instructed on the box and stir:



Then we’ll pop it into the microwave with a lid, although that’s not specified on the box, but it makes sense intuitively:


The instructions on the box (which we’re following EXACTLY) say to set the microwave to 10-12 minutes on high and stir every 3 minutes. I’m going to be so precise I’m going to set a timer for 3 minutes.

What shall we do in between stirs? I’m going to wind a skein of wool, because idle hands are the devil’s workshop, or something:


If you are interested, this is a skein of Briggs & Little 100% wool, 1-ply, intended to be one of the contrast colours in an upcoming knitting project, the Lunenburg pullover. Perhaps I will start a Rubbishy Knittery podcast…

Back to our tapioca and our first 3 minutes are up! Ready for a stir. The directions on the box (which we are following EXACTLY) don’t mention what stirring utensil to use, so I am intuitively reaching for my mini whisk:


It’s looking good and smelling great! Another 3 minutes, another stir, another 3 minutes, and:


It’s almost perfect! Let’s give it 1 more minute in the microwave to make it 10 minutes total:


The box says it thickens as it cools, so I’m not concerned that it’s still pretty liquid.

Time to add the teaspoon of vanilla extract:


I always assume the lid of the bottle is a teaspoon. Am I wrong? How can anything that feels so right be wrong?

Stir again and let it cool for 20 minutes, according to the box, stirring every 10 minutes.

More yarn ball winding:


Ten minutes later:


Hmmm… it’s still kinda liquidy… but I shan’t yet panic. It still has another 10 minutes of cooling to go…

I pick up the box out of general curiosity and see, for the first time, the following:


Ooops. I didn’t read the directions on the box very thoroughly, did I? I neglected to let the ingredients sit for 5 minutes before microwaving. Was this an essential step?

I continue to peruse the box, seeing more things presumably for the first time…


Shoot. It even says this in not one, but two locations on the box. Including in bold type at the top of the front of the box. Ye gods. What have I done? Or rather, not done?

My box exploratory reading continues as I note the nutritional content of tapioca is… zero. Is there anything else we eat that has zero nutritional value???


Okay. Take a deep breath. Everything is fine.

Ten minutes later, and it’s still a bit soupy, but tasty as heck:


I’m going to put a lid on it and put it in the fridge for a couple of hours. 

Everything’s fine.

I’ll start a new jigsaw puzzle while the refrigerator works its cooling magic on the tapioca that did not sit for 5 minutes before cooking, nor was shaken in the box prior to being added to the other ingredients:


A few hours later…

What have we here?


Oh my goodness! It’s pudding consistency! The magic power of refrigeration and patience has saved the day!


The tapioca pudding couldn’t be better: perfect texture, consistency, flavour, sweetness (but not too sweet)… the perfect end to my day!

Phew!

May 2025 update: so I made this recipe again *exactly* as I did above, turned away from the microwave for the last two minutes, and had a complete explosion of milky tapioca all over the microwave oven! It not only was the biggest microwave mess ever, but I lost most of my pudding, and the microwave has never worked the same since then. Bottom line: microwaves are tricksters and you can’t trust them! Don’t turn your back for even a second!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Recipe #49: eggnog latté

Image
It’s holiday season—the most wonderful time of the year! Let’s have eggnog lattés! Ingredients: I’m making a decaf eggnog latté because I’m feeling seasonal, but not so much that I want to be up all night. But you do you. Note the equipment involved: stovetop espresso maker and milk foamer (the latter was previously seen in Recipe #37, matcha latté). If you have an actual espresso maker, by all means use it! Directions: If using a stovetop espresso maker, take it apart and first add cold water to the base to the level of the bottom of the little screw on the side: Next, add the middle section with the basket for the ground espresso and fill gently with the coffee. I don’t pack it down and it seems to work better this way with this device: Screw on the top, and it’s ready to go. Next, add water to the bottom section of the stovetop milk foamer: Not too much water, about a couple of centimetres worth, you want the water to boil quickly and a lot of steam to build up in the bottom section...
Read more

Recipe #46: steel cut oatmeal

Image
  This recipe is by special request for a special friend who recently found a mini slow cooker at a thrift store. That’s where you find mini slow cookers. Nobody buys them new. They spontaneously generate themselves at thrift stores. Just make sure you clean them within an inch of their existence. Apparently my friend is more conscientious about second hand electrical kitchen appliances than I, and she looked online to learn how to use the mini slow cooker. I did no such thing and assumed, like regular slow cookers, they could be used safely for hours at a time. Apparently the mini slow cookers are only intended to be used for a mini amount of time: four hours maximum. I’m going to pretend that I never heard this information and will continue to throw caution to the wind with my second hand mini, but you, dear reader, should take this information as a caveat to this recipe, and if you decide to use it recklessly like me, and your thrift store mini slow cooker explodes after four ho...
Read more

Recipes #8 and #9: pan fried haddock with cucumber salad

Image
  Today’s post is a 2-for-1, but rest assured, both recipes can be made independently and separately with good results! Recipe #8: cucumber salad  This is super quick salad recipe that you can whip up in a few minutes and impress the pants off of your dinner guest(s). I’m making a batch for two diners here. Ingredients: Directions: Slice the cucumber(s) in thin rounds with a sharp knife. A mandoline would work well, but ours is still in its original packaging and I’m afraid of it, so I just used a paring knife and sliced directly into the serving bowl (no cutting board = less clean up = less neatly sliced = I don’t care). Likewise with the red onion. I just used a small amount of the red onion you see pictured above. We want the onion to be a sidekick to the cucumber, not a leading lady. Next, squeeze a wedge of fresh lemon juice in the bowl, shake a few shakes of dried dill (or a good anmount of chopped fresh dill if you have it), add a glug of mayo and a spoonful of sou...
Read more