Chocolate chia pudding

The second whisk is the whole recipe

Chia seeds form a gel as their soluble fibre hydrates, and they do it fast. Left alone after the first mix, they clump — the outer seeds gel, stick to each other, and trap dry seeds inside pockets that never hydrate. You end up with lumps of dry seed in a watery liquid.

Whisking again after ten minutes breaks those clumps up at exactly the point they are forming. It takes fifteen seconds and it is the difference between a pudding and a failure.

Ratios

Roughly one part chia to four and a half parts liquid by volume gives a spoonable pudding. Thicker, at 1:3, is closer to a set custard and good for layering. Thinner, at 1:6, is a drinkable chia beverage. The seeds absorb up to about ten times their weight in water, so small changes in the ratio make large changes in the result.

Cocoa needs a little salt and a little heat

The pinch of salt is not seasoning in the usual sense — it suppresses bitterness perception, which is why almost every chocolate recipe contains some. If the cocoa tastes dusty or the pudding tastes thin, warming the milk slightly before mixing helps the cocoa bloom and disperse rather than sitting in suspension.

Variations

• Higher protein — a scoop of whey or a few spoons of Greek yoghurt takes it from 8 g to around 20 g, which turns it from a dessert into a breakfast.
• Coffee — replace a quarter of the milk with strong espresso.
• Peanut butter, stirred in before it sets, which changes it considerably and is worth doing at least once.

Keeping it

Five days refrigerated, and it thickens further each day — thin it with a splash of milk if it goes past what you want. It does not freeze usefully; the gel structure breaks and thaws watery.

What it is worth nutritionally

Chia is around a third fibre by weight, most of it soluble, which is where the gel comes from and why a small portion is filling. It is also a source of ALA, the plant omega-3 — worth knowing that the body converts ALA to the long-chain forms poorly, so this is a useful food rather than a substitute for oily fish. See healthy fats.