A silky smooth, decadent pudding recipe packed with Southeast Asian flavors (makrut/Thai lime and coconut) and thickened with kuzu starch.
Put coconut milk and *chopped makrut lime leaves into saucepan over medium-low heat with lid on - you don't want too much water to evaporate. (*If using fresh makrut leaves, also crush the leaves in your hand before adding.) Remove lid and stir every few minutes to ensure ingredients aren't scalding in bottom of pan. If coconut milk starts to boil, immediately remove pan from heat, turn down burner, and let cool for a minute before returning to heat. You're trying to get the makrut lime leaf flavor to infuse the coconut milk without burning it, which will take about 20 minutes.
After the coconut milk & makrut leaves have been heating for about 20 minutes, start the next piece of the recipe... Combine honey and egg yolk in a mixing bowl and vigorously whisk until mixture is fully combined, about 2 minutes (it still has a thick consistency, but will be lighter/runnier than honey). Add finely powdered kuzu starch and whisk again for about a minute.
Next you'll need to strain out the makrut leaves from the coconut milk and start tempering the egg/kuzu/honey mixture (pouring all the hot coconut milk in at once will make the yolk and kuzu a chunky mess). How you do this will vary based on whether you used a saucepan with a straining lid on it (option 1) OR you have to strain the leaves out through a separate strainer before tempering (option 2).
Option 1: While whisking vigorously, slowly pour about 1/4 of the hot coconut milk into the egg/honey/kuzu mixture through the strainer lid on your saucepan. Once mixed, add another 1/4 of the mix, then another until all ingredients have been combined, whisking constantly.
Option 2: Strain out the makrut leaves by pouring the coconut milk through a strainer into a pouring dish/large measuring cup. Then pour the coconut milk back into the saucepan and heat for another minute. Now it's time to temper the egg/honey/kuzu mixture with a SMALL amount of hot makrut-infused coconut milk. While whisking vigorously, slowly pour about 1/4 of the hot coconut milk into the egg/honey/kuzu mixture through a strainer. Once mixed, add another 1/4 of the mix, then another until all ingredients have been combined, whisking constantly.
Transfer ingredients from mixing bowl back into saucepan over medium-low heat and add salt and lemon juice (lemon juice optional, but recommended). Continue cooking for about 10 minutes until mixture thickens, whisking regularly so it doesn't burn or form chunks. Transfer to serving bowls, let cool to room temp before serving (or put in fridge if serving later). You'll be amazed at how the flavor of the pudding develops after it cools (the makrut leaf flavor really intensifies). Once cooled, garnish and serve.
Makrut lime leaf, coconut milk, and kuzu pudding (honey-sweetened) https://www.tyrantfarms.com/makrut-lime-leaf-coconut-milk-and-kuzu-pudding-honey-sweetened/