Why it works: Raisin and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,481 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Tapioca Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Soak the tapioca in cold milk for 1 to 2 hours.
Transfer the tapioca and milk to a pot and bring to a boil, stirring frequently until soft.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Make the pudding
Beat the egg yolks and sugar together, then stir into the cooled tapioca mixture.
Fold in the whipped egg whites and the floured raisins.
Pour the mixture into a pudding dish and place it in a baking pan filled with boiling water.
Bake and serve
Cover and bake in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
If not browned, uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Serve nearly cold, with or without fruit dressing.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Raisin + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Milk + raisintop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,155 recipes
Shared aroma: decanoic acid (acides aroma).
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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Milk and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tapioca
- Thickens the milk as it cooks, giving the pudding its body and soft, chewy texture.
- Egg yolks
- Enrich the custard and help set the pudding while it bakes.
- Egg whites
- Whipped and folded in, they add lightness and airiness to the pudding.
- Raisins
- Add chewy pieces of sweetness and fruit flavour throughout the pudding.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base that the tapioca swells in and thickens into a creamy pudding.
The step that matters
Bake in a water bath. Setting the dish in boiling water in the pan moderates the heat around the pudding, so the custard sets gently without curdling or drying at the edges.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, sugar, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits about as well
- Raisinthe original
- Lemonfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, sugar, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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