House Food's Black Sesame Pudding Mix

I think I don't have to introduce everyone to an international 100 yen chain store called Daiso? Basically, it's an almost all-in-one store, with everything at a flat price of 100 yen (the price may vary by location and exchange rates: in Malaysia it's RM5; in Singapore it's S$2). Food, stationary, cosmetics, you name it.


Daiso would be my first stop to look for almost anything: make-up? Check. Snacks? Check. Assorted accessories? Check. And I really love to make food with prepared mixes - you buy the product (usually a powder), process it a little, and voila!: you have some nice, intricate, home-made food.


I used to get the mug cake mix (awesome, by the way), but since I'm on a black sesame craze, I bought the black sesame pudding. I've been eyeing these pudding mixes for a while, and I've tried one of them! (There's also green tea, and custard pudding, I think.)

Image from my Instagram.

The product comes in a cute little box, printed on every side with Japanese characters. The instructions are pretty easy to understand if you have a Chinese language background. The product doesn't use eggs, but relies on gelatine to give it that "sexy bouncy" texture.

No molds? Use any small bowls or cups. And strain them before allowing them to set, so there won't be any unsightly bubbles like mine.

Inside the box is the sachet of mix (17.5g) sufficient to make 4x100ml servings. So basically, these are the instructions:

1. Mix 1 sachet of the pudding mix with 400ml whole milk (whole for better texture, according to the instructions), then heat on medium heat. Once it boils, reduce heat to low, and cook for approx. 1 minute.
2. Transfer the mixture into molds, and let stand for 10 minutes at room temperature before chilling in the fridge for 1 hour or more.

It's actually really simple, but I almost overboiled the milk mixture, and I had no proper molds (not even ramekins), so I had to settle to using my mother's teacups. To unmold them, I just wet a small knife with warm water, then ran it along the sides of the pudding (took more than a few shakes to get it out, though...).

The finished product. It's supposed to have a dark "inverted top", so that it kind of looks like a black sesame custard pudding, no? =D

While quite aesthetically appealing (who can resist a wobbly, bouncy pudding?), the taste to me, and my sisters, was pretty much disappointing: there wasn't much of the aromatic black sesame flavor I had expected, and it just left a strange after-taste in the mouth. However, taste is a personal thing, so try it out - you might find a new favorite. =)