Ouma's Tapioca Pudding

Ouma's secret recipe for her famous Tapioca Pudding!

As a child my favorite puddings were Tapioca (Padda-ogies, as we use to call it) and Roly Poly, both served with my mum's homemade custard!

The past few years my late mum (Ouma) use to make Tapioca everytime my daughter and her family visited from Cape Town!  That would be her special treat for them over the week end.  She loved watching as we tasted the pudding long before dinner time and half of it vanishing before her eyes (or was it behind her back?)

On the day of her memorial service I baked Tapioca Pudding all by myself for the first time.  She would have been proud of me, as it was a great success!!  I made another one over the weekend, on my cousins farm near Baarskeerdersbos! This time in a gas oven, another success!  I think I can do it now.

The original recipe as from Ouma's book.  She had to double it for us, the blue pen is in her handwriting.

Soak the Tapioca over night in half of the milk.

The next day add the rest of the milk and cook very slowing, stirring regularly, until the Tapioca is cooked through.  Add the butter, salt, one spoon of sugar and egg yolks and slowly cook till it thickens.

Add the vanilla and stir through.

Beat the egg whites and add the baking powder and sugar spoon by spoon until stiff.

 

  Spoon the apricot jam onto the tapioca mix after you have put it in a ovenproof dish.

Top it with the egg white and draw patterns with a fork in the meringue.

Bake at 180 until in browns.  Enjoy with thin custard and ice cream.

 

In loving memory of Ouma Sophy..............