Roasted Lemongrass Fragranced Tapioca Pearl Pudding

I’ve been meaning to make this version of tapioca pearl pudding for a while now, since I discovered lemongrass pudding in a local restaurant in Indonesia just over a year ago. The lemongrass brought a very interesting and refined taste to this dessert dish. I had only eaten lemongrass in salty dishes as in soups or meat entrees, and never expected the marriage of lemongrass and sweetness to work out so well. Just like cardamom, lemongrass creates a pungent, yet very pleasant fragrance to pudding. It’s a wonderful combination of tanginess and herbal essence like you would find in an herbal tea mixed with honey and lemon.

For this recipe, which is very similar to the Banana and Coconut Tapioca Pearl Pudding I had posted last year, I roasted the lemongrass so as to release as much lemony flavour as possible, as coconut milk can sometimes be overpowering when mixed with an herb. I do encourage you to try it if you are one to be curious about new culinary discoveries and I would very much like to hear your verdict and welcome suggestions!

Approx. 10 minutes preparation, 15-17 minutes cooking time

Recipe "au pif":1/4 cup small tapioca pearls
2 stalks lemongrass, thick bottom part only, outer layers discarded, inner part cut in half lengthwise
1 can (14 oz, 400ml) coconut milk
1 cup soy milk (plain, unsweetened)
3 1/ 2 tbsp raw cane sugar
a small pinch of salt

* Soak the tapioca pearls in about 1 cup warm water. The pearls will swell in less than 2 minutes. Discard excess water.
Roast lemongrass in oven under high broil for about 5-7 minutes, or until edges are brown.

In a medium saucepan, combine coconut milk, soymilk, lemongrass and salt.

Let lemongrass infuse for about 5-7 minutes when coconut and soy milk have come to a boil. Scoop out the lemongrass with a small spoon strainer.

Add the tapioca pearls and slowly bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Simmer and stir until mixture just starts to thicken, about 5 minutes (mixture will be thin).

Remove from heat; add in sugar and stir.

Let stand in saucepan uncovered 12-15 minutes until the pudding thickens.

Let the pudding sit for a few minutes until it thickens even more.

Transfer in cups or small bowls. Garnish with a little bit of some toasted almonds.

To make it even more interesting, drizzle a dash of rum or cognac and enjoy!
Serves 4 people.