Creamy Brazilian Coconut and Tapioca Pudding with Caramel

Directions

1. Start by combining 125g of granulated tapioca, 600ml of semi-skimmed milk, and 50g of grated coconut in a large bowl. Leave to soak at room temperature for at least 4 hours so that the tapioca has time to hydrate completely.

2. When the tapioca is well hydrated, start preparing a caramel for the pudding mold. in a small saucepan, combine 200g of sugar and 80ml of water, let it heat slowly over medium/low heat, you will see that little by little the mixture will begin to thicken, and you will go from a transparent liquid to a yellowish one, when it turns a yellowish/brown colour, it is time to remove it from the heat (it will finish caramelizing with the pudding).

3. Pour the caramel into a chimney mold. Note that it must be a mold that holds at least 3 litres. It is not necessary to line the mold, but I lined it because this was my largest chimney mold, and it no longer seals the bottom well. By lining it, it seals well, so you can seal if you want, it will always make it easier to unmold.
4. Preheat the oven to 356ºF (180ºC) and heat some water, because you will be cooking in a water bath.
5. Separate the egg yolks from the whites, whisk the egg whites until stiff and set aside (it’s a good idea to always whisk the egg whites first, so you don’t have to wash the mixer to whisk the rest of the mixture, because to whisk egg whites you always need a clean and dry mixer).

6. Add the hydrated tapioca and milk mixture, 400ml of coconut milk, 200ml of condensed milk, the 6 egg yolks, and 10g of butter. Whisk the mixture until the tapioca is well mixed and there are no large lumps.

7. Add the whisked egg whites, fold them into the mixture without whisking anymore, you want a very fluffy mixture, then pour it into the pan, tap the bottom of the pan a few times to prevent air pockets in the mixture.
8. Pour hot water into a baking dish/tray in the oven, then place the pan with the pudding inside the baking dish/tray with water, cover the pudding with aluminium foil.
9. Bake for more or less 1 hour (it took me 56 minutes and I only put the aluminium foil on towards the end, so I burned the top a little, but as the top is deep, you can’t even notice it heheheh), prick with a toothpick, if it comes out dry, the pudding is ready, you can also shake it a little, if it is fully cooked it will sway like a pudding/jelly, if it is not, it will run like a liquid.

10. Remove from the oven and let it cool, then cover with cling film and refrigerate. This will cause the pudding to lose a little volume, become firmer, and come away from the mold. Turn over in a plate and unmold when cold. Bon appétit!