To a small saucepan, add the tapioca pearls or sago pearls and 2 cups of water and stir. Turn the heat on to low and stir continually so that the pearls do not stick to the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil and continue to stir until the pearls are completely translucent (around 10-15 minutes); you don’t want to see any whites. Remove from the heat and run under cold water to remove any excess starch, then set aside.

Remove the husks and silk threads from the corn cobs, then run them under cold water. Stand a corn cob up in a large mixing bowl, holding the top firmly, then using a knife, slice off the corn kernels from top to bottom, as close to the cob as you can. Repeat until all the kernels have been removed.

In a medium-sized pot, boil the bare corn cobs in four cups of water. When the water boils, reduce the heat to a rolling boil for 10 minutes, then, using tongs, remove the cobs and discard.

Add the corn kernels, 150 mls of coconut milk, sugar and salt to the pot and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste, then add more sugar or salt to your liking, along with the tapioca or sago pearls. Combine well and simmer for another 5 minutes. Set aside.

In a small pan, toast the sesame seeds over low heat until brown, continually shifting the pan so that the seeds do not burn.

Distribute the corn pudding between bowls – it should make two medium bowls (or four small bowls) – then spoon over the remainder of the coconut milk, sprinkle the sesame seeds on top, then perch yourselves on tiny plastic stools and pretend you’re in Hoi An.