Combine ¾ cup of the milk with the tapioca pearls in a large heavy bottomed pot and let it soak for 30-60 minutes.
Whisk in the remaining 2 cups of milk, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla bean seeds and pod, pumpkin purée, and spices.
Turn the flame to low (as low as it goes) and heat the pudding slowly, stirring occasionally. It should begin to bubble a bit after about 15 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the pearls turn mostly translucent (it's okay if some of the pearls have little white specks in the center) and pudding begins to thicken enough to coat the back of your spoon, about 10-20 minutes. The pudding will thicken as it cools, so don't overcook or your pudding will be gummy.
Remove from heat and transfer to 6-8 pudding cups, discarding the vanilla bean. To serve warm, let rest for 8-10 minutes to thicken and serve topped with whipped coconut cream and candied pepitas. To serve cold, cover and chill for an hour or up to 24 hours and serve with toppings.
Candied Pumpkin Seeds
Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring until lightly golden and beginning to pop, 3-5 minutes.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat mat.
Melt the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar begins to turn amber colored, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Add pumpkin seeds and stir until evenly coated.
Spread the pumpkin seeds out on the prepared baking sheet and let cool for 20 minutes.
Whipped Coconut Cream
Chill the can of coconut cream upright in the fridge for at least 24 hours. Without tilting, open the can and spoon off just the thick cream off the top into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or into a mixing bowl to whip with a hand mixer).
Whip on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue whisking on high speed until soft peaks form. Chill until ready to use.
Notes
*If you can't find coconut cream (I use either Thai Kitchen Coconut Cream or the kind from Trader Joes), you can use the thick cream off the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk. If you don't have time to chill the coconut cream, you can also substitute ¾ cup heavy whipping cream.Adapted from 101 Cookbooks
This nutritional information has been automatically calculated, and as such, may be incomplete or inaccurate. Please reference the specific ingredients you use for the most accurate nutritional information.