I first ate this at the Perch restaurant in Delhi’s Khan Market and loved it. Till a month ago, I hadn’t ever gone near any chia dishes. I somehow have this healthy disregard for all these exotic superfoods such as quinoa, goji berries, acai berries, chia and those that come from far, far away which are extremely expensive and not sustainable in the long term. However, I enjoyed this so much that I decided to buy ‘exotic’ and just make it. 

The first time I made it, I added a few tablespoons to a litre of milk! It was woefully inadequate and I had to add wayyyy more seeds. And one litre of milk?? That was the action of a chia novice. My reasoning was that as I had limited supply of good quality coconut milk, I could combine it with regular milk. The milk diluted the flavour of coconut which wasn’t to my liking. 

Nevertheless, that batch got made, eaten, distributed but then I made another. This time I got it right. I soaked the chia seeds overnight (in the right proportion this time) in water so that it didn’t get too heavy. This also gave me the flexibility to use other milk as my son is allergic to coconut. Then I mixed each bowl individually and was very pleased with the result. 

In India you have an alternative to chia seeds; they’re called sabja, or sweet basil seeds. They swell a lot more than chia seeds so the gelatinous composition is a bit more. You could even use this instead of chia seeds. I used the Chaokoh brand of coconut milk which I feel is the best of all the kinds of coconut milk I’ve used with the consistency nice and thick. 

This dish is power packed with nutrients with the nuts, seeds, fruit and coconut milk and is absolutely yum. We are now having this at least twice a week at home. You can use any fruit you like, but try to include the mango for sure and definitely add the nuts and seeds. They give the dish a lovely crunchy texture. It’s quite a filling dish so will keep you feeling full for a while and make you ready to tackle your day. Enjoy. 

Ingredients (serves one)

*I first soaked 1/2 cup chia seeds in 21/2 cups of water overnight (This would make approximately 8 bowls of chia pudding with the chia proportion listed below). 

4 tbsp bloomed chia seeds*
10 tbsp coconut milk (I used the Chaokoh brand)
11/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp roasted walnuts coarsely chopped
1 tbsp roasted mixed seeds (watermelon, melon, pumpkin)
1 tbsp diced or sliced apples (can use any)
1 tbsp diced mango
1 tbsp pomegranate seeds
1 tbsp diced nectarines

You can add any fruits you like. 

Get Started 

• Add the bloomed chia seeds to a serving bowl and mix it well with the coconut milk and the sugar. You can use any milk but coconut milk gives it the best flavour I feel.

• Then sprinkle the walnuts and mixed seeds all over and top with the fruits. 

• Enjoy your healthy and delicious breakfast. 

Pictorial Steps: