I tried making pudding in the microwave for the first time. I took 20 g rice starch and 250 g milk. First made a slurry, then mixed the rest of the milk, constantly stirring. Then added 10 g sugar and half a tablespoon of vanilla extract, and stirred well again. The mixture was fully homogenous.
I put it immediately in the microwave at a low setting, and turned on for 3 minutes. It was still really liquid, so I put it in for another 3. When I took it out the second time, it had built a skin. I tried stirring it in, and suddenly realized that all the starch has sedimented on the bottom and has half-gelled there. Stirring with a spoon only broke it up into solid pieces.
I blended it smooth, cooked it some more, and got a thin, reasonably smooth pudding. But the question is, how should I have prepared it from the beginning to make it in one go, without a blender?
Best Answer
Unlike with stovetop recipes, you need not heat the major part of your milk first and then add the starch slurry, you can mix everything while cold. As with all similar microwave recipes, using a wide bowl (preferably with straight sides) is best suited for the job. Use short microwave intervals at medium power, give the mix a quick stir with a whisk every minute or so. You want to heat the milk as evenly as possible while keeping the starch more or less suspended. "Hot spots" will create the dreaded lumps, similar to not stirring well when cooking on the stove.
And when you reach a certain temperature threshold, the "magic" starts: gelatinization happens everywhere at roughly the same time and your whole mix thickens almost instantly. (Unlike in a pot, where it starts at the bottom.) Simmer half a minute longer or so, give it a final stir and your pudding is done.