########Hawaiian Coconut Pudding########

I came across Hawaiian puddings when reading about Japanese bento box lunches. The Japanese community in Hawaii have left their influence and this traditional dessert is very popular. This coconut pudding, traditionally known as haupia (pronounced hope-e-ah), is a staple desert at every Hawaiian luau.

This recipe is extremely simple to follow and will create a lovely milky set dessert that should be served chilled. You need very few ingredients and will get several servings from one batch. I think it's best to make this up fresh and then consume within a few days.

##Ingredients##
4 to 6 tablespoons of sugar
4 to 6 tablespoons of corn flour
1.5 cups of water
12oz can of coconut milk

##Instructions##
1. Put the corn flour and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the water and stir to form a runny mixture, ensuring that there are no lumps.
2. Using a small saucepan, heat the coconut milk to a simmer. Stir in the sugar mixture and stir constantly until thickened. This should only take a few minutes, and you will feel the change in consistency as you stir.
3. Pour the coconut dessert into individual serving bowls. I find ramekins work well for this and I can usually get 5 large servings from one batch of ingredients as listed above.
4. Wait until the mixture has cooled off and then place in the fridge to chill until it has set and become firm. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

##Optional##
To vary this dish and make it more interesting there are several things you can do to spice it up. This is a very good basic pudding that can be customised to suit your personal tastes.
I often top the desserts with dried fruits to make it a bit healthier and add a bit of colour.
Another way to add colour is to mix in some food dye while you are cooking it! This really makes a different from the usual plain white colour that you will get and is great fun to make a rainbow of desserts.
I sometimes like to add raisins and cooking spices such as nutmeg to the mixture to add flavour and a bit of variety to the texture.
You could also add in complementary flavourings such as vanilla essence.

As well as making ramekin sized puddings for after dinner treats, I also like to make mini versions to include in my lunches that I take to work. I do this by pouring the mixture into silicone cupcake cases and then chilling as usual. The small cases fit nicely into my bento box and the smaller portion is just right for an after lunch snack. This a nice alternative to yoghurt and other ordinary chilled desserts.