Chia Seeds

Let me tell you about chia, and about the one thing everybody gets wrong.

Drop chia seeds in water or milk and wait. Within minutes, each tiny seed swells and wraps itself in a soft, trembling gel. That's not magic; that's the seed coat doing its job: the outer layer is rich in soluble fiber, and soluble fiber pulls in water and holds it, forming a gel. This is why chia thickens a pudding without any heat, without any egg, without any flour.

Choosing chia is simple. Good seeds are small, hard, shiny, and they don't smell of anything at all. If you catch a musty or oily smell, put the bag back — the fat inside has gone rancid.

Some people say chia has no taste, so you can throw in as much as you like. No! It has a faint, nutty taste, and, more importantly, it keeps absorbing liquid for hours after you mix it. Dump in a generous handful, thinking "more seeds, more pudding," and by morning you get a brick, not a pudding — all your milk locked away in gel, nothing left to spoon.

Measure the seeds. Respect the liquid. Let time do the rest.