Chocolate Pudding

Puddings were a new concept to me. When I first moved to Singapore, I tried these small mango pudding cups from Fairprice. These were almost a jelly than a pudding, so I was never really interested in puddings again. But some years later a friend of mine from Germany said that she was totally addicted to chocolate puddings! So I gave chocolate pudding a try, and they were pure bliss! 

I stumbled upon a wonderful site pixelandcrumbs.com, I found this easy recipe for chocolate pudding. Her pictures were so inspiring for my photo shoot as well.

Recently we went to a close-friend’s daughter’s birthday. I wanted to make a quick and eggless dessert to take to the birthday party. And this pudding recipe seemed the perfect dessert for a 9 year old and a 3 year old! The adults too enjoyed their sweet little chocolate cups!

Chocolate Pudding:

Makes: 12 small jelly cups of pudding

Ingredients:

¼ cup (30 grams) – Corn-starch ( I used tapioca starch)

½ cup (100 grams) – Sugar

1/8 teaspoon - Salt

3 Cups (705 ml) – Milk

170 grams (6 ounces) – Baking Chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used Hershey’s chocolate chips)

1 teaspoon – Vanilla essence

Directions:

• Use a double broiler, or place a large stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering hot water.
• In the stainless steel bowl add the tapioca starch, sugar and salt.
• Slowly add the milk to the bowl. Keep stirring constantly to mix all the ingredients.
• Keep the stove on medium, and continue to stir for about 10-15 minutes.
• As the mixture begins to thicken, to test the consistency, use a spoon to see if it coats the back of the spoon.
• Now add the chocolate and keep stirring until dissolved for about 3-5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and add the vanilla essence.
• If there are any lumps, strain the pudding through a strainer. This is not necessary if the pudding is of smooth consistency.
• When still hot, spoon the pudding into serving bowl or individual cups.
• Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and upto 3 days. 
• Serve chilled with a topping of strawberries/whipped cream/ any nuts.

Double Broiler Method

The mixture coating the back of the spoon.