
Here is a dessert I learned to make as a kid and updated with adult sensibility. Native Hong Kong cuisine has a lot of fusion dishes with equal parts Cantonese and colonial British influence. Dim sum restaurant is a wonderful breeding ground for such innovation with its small plate dining concept. Sunday dim sum brunch with my grandparents always included classic stalwarts like har gow 蝦餃 shrimp dumplings and shumai 燒賣 pork dumplings. But there would be treats for the kids and baked tapioca pudding was my top favourite. The very western baked vanilla pudding is given an Asian twist with tapioca pearls and swirls of sweetened lotus seed paste 蓮蓉 or azuki bean paste 豆沙. I burned my lips many times because the hot pudding was just too tempting.
It did not take long before I learned to make my own under my mother’s supervision. The ubiquitous recipe came printed on the iconic yellow box of cornstarch that was found in every household. Actually, it still comes with every box. See the 80s magazine clipping on the left (that perm!) and my fresh box of cornstarch on the right? It’s reassuring to know that something doesn’t change.
The problem is, it did not taste very good now that I think about it. Much too rubbery! I should not be surprise since the cornstarch-heavy recipe came from the cornstarch company. Actually, even the ones I ate at dim sum restaurants were like that. I much prefer my pudding on the softer side.