Author Notes
Pudding for breakfast? Best case scenario. This might be the healthiest ‘dessert’ that I’ve ever eaten. Seriously, there isn’t one ingredient in here that isn’t good for you – the sweetness is derived from honey, richness from coconut milk, and the subtle heat and flavourings from the spices and dried apricots. No sugar, butter or flour.
I felt a little out of my depth when I bought a packet of these tiny black and white seeds, wondering how they could possibly turn into this crazy tapioca/sago like globules. I will mention here that the only reason I bought them (apart from being the holy grail of health foods of course) was for the excitement of watching these tiny specks metamorphose into something reminiscent of caviar. They actually grow overnight!
There’s no cooking whatsoever for the chia seed part. All you do is soak them in coconut milk and refrigerate for several hours or overnight, by which time they will have absorbed all the liquid and swelled up. Since the coconut milk already has some sweetness to it and because it’s been paired with a compote here, I didn’t find the need to add sugar in any form to the pudding.
Chia seeds on their own are quite bland and flavourless, which means you can add the flavouring of your choice and make it taste different every time you make them. The options are endless – chocolate, almond milk instead of coconut, fresh fruit topped, to name a few. Substituted with maple syrup, you’ve got yourself a vegan-friendly version too. We are smack bang in the middle of a chia revolution here! —Kirthana | Theblurrylime
Ingredients
- For the chia pudding:
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1/4 cup
chia seeds
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200 milliliters
coconut milk
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1 tablespoon
chopped pistachios, for garnish
- For the apricot compote:
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200 grams
dried apricots, quartered
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3 tablespoons
honey/maple syrup
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1
stick of cinnamon
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2
cloves
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2
cardamom pods
Directions
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Place the chia seeds in a bowl along with the coconut milk and gently mix through. Pour into a jar/container with a lid and refrigerate for several hours, preferably overnight. By then the seeds will have absorbed all the liquid and turned into small globules. Mix through and set aside (This can be left refrigerated until ready to use). Note : if it thickens too much, add a bit more coconut milk to loosen it out.
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Place all the ingredients for the compote in a saucepan along with ½ cup of water and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid, and reduce to a low simmer. Cook for 5 - 10 minutes until the apricots break down and it gets to a slightly jammy consistency (If it starts to dry out and catch at the bottom of the pan, add a little more water). Remove from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, remove the cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom and discard.
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Alternatively, just spoon the chia seeds into bowls and top with the apricot compote and pistachios.
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Refrigerate once assembled, and serve chilled.
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