Gluten-free sago Christmas pudding

My sister used to make this pudding when she was first married.  It was always delicious and I remember enjoying it because it was so light and fluffy and different to a traditional Christmas pudding.  It always intrigued me how it actually worked.  Basically you soak the sago overnight then stir it all together the next day.  You end up with a white mixture with a few raisins in it but once it’s cooked it becomes a ‘dark’ coloured pudding!

I thought that I would change the recipe to allow my gluten-free friends a quick and easy option for their Christmas pudding.  It also has the benefit of being able to be started the night before Christmas and steamed on the day.  If you don’t want to mix it up on Christmas day then start 2 days before and just leave it sitting in the fridge.   So for everyone out there who has just discovered that someone is coming for Christmas who is in fact gluten intolerant then this is the recipe for you.  Quick, easy and economical it is certainly a lot cheaper to make than buying a traditional gluten-free pudding.  Perfectly cooked in the steam oven!

You can substitute the gluten-free breadcrumbs for regular if you wish which was the original recipe.

Ingredients:  Serves 6-8

1/2 cup sago
1 tsp melted butter
1¼ cups milk
1½ cups fresh white gluten-free breadcrumbs
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup raisins
1 tsp bicarb-soda

Method:

1. Soak sago in milk overnight.   You do need to do this so don’t try to skip this stage!
2. Grease a standard size pudding basin well.  It should be approximately 5 cup size to the top of the rim.  If you don’t have a pudding steamer like this then you can use a mixing bowl or a plastic bowl and lid from a purchased pudding.
3. Add all other ingredients to soaked sago and milk and mix well.
4. Pour into greased basin.  Make sure you also grease the lid.  If you don’t have a lid cover with double layer of baking paper with a ‘pleat’ in the centre and tie securely.
5. Cover with lid and steam @ 100°C for 2½ hours.  If you prepared it a day ahead and forgot to take it out of the fridge like I did then cook for 3 hours.

Serve with Brandy cream, berries and extra cream if desired.  My sister use to live on a farm and serve it with loads of double cream 🙂

Just found Stephanie Alexanders recipe – much posher than my old family favourite if you want to give it a go?  I thought about cooking this recipe but my daughter convinced me that she prefers our ‘Best ever’ recipe here.  Of course, it’s not gluten-free.

http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food/cook/recipe/sago-plum-pudding-with-egg-custard-20111019-29vz8.html