Tapioca lends itself to various uses. You can bake the little pearls and make a homemade boba, or you can serve it in some kind of pudding. You can also use it to thicken cakes, jellies and stews! We will talk about all these preparations, so you will never find yourself wondering again what to do with that tapioca you have in the pantry.
Ingrediants
Prepare the Tapioca Boba
- 40g of tapioca pearls
- 320g of water
- Cream (optional)
Prepare the Tapioca Pudding
- 750ml of whole milk
- 75g quick-cooking tapioca
- 100g of sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
(Dose for 6 servings)
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Make Tapioca Boba
Step 1. Put the tapioca and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat
Spin continuously! Or the boba will stick to the bottom of the pot. Make sure the proportion of water in the boba is always 8: 1. In other words, for every 40g of tapioca you will need 320g of water. Do you only have 20g of tapioca? you will only need 160g of water!
Some recipes call for soaking the boba before preparation. This depends on the type of pearls you bought. Some dissolve completely during soaking, others need it. If you can, buy boba that has only one ingredient: tapioca. They are the best ones, whether they require soaking or not
Step 2. When the boba begins to float, turn the heat down to medium
Continue to cook the boba for another 12-15 minutes, turning every 5 or so. When the time has elapsed, remove the pot from the heat, cover and let the boba rest for another 15 minutes.
Step 3. Add sugar for flavor, and eat it alone or with cream
Boba is good on its own, but it is also a great addition to any other preparation, even if the first thing that comes to mind is always tea.
If you want to make bubbles for bubble tea, simply make a syrup to soak the bubbles in. Mix 125g of boiling water and 100g of sugar to create a super sweet gel that will add even more flavor
Step 4. Eat it immediately
The boba is at its best within hours of preparation. Put it in the syrup, if you like, and let it cool in the fridge for 15 minutes. They should be enough to give your boba just the right sweetness and texture. Or, eat it immediately as soon as you take it out of the pot!
Method 2 of 3: Make Tapioca Pudding
Step 1. Put the milk, tapioca, sugar and salt in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil
Stir constantly and keep the heat at medium intensity. As soon as it comes to a boil, lower the heat to low, stir and cook for another 5 minutes.
If you don't have quick cooking tapioca, you can soak it in water overnight. Then cook it in a slow cooker for 2 hours to reach the right consistency
Step 2. Beat 250ml of the milk preparation with the eggs, adding two tablespoons at a time
Keep beating until the ingredients have mixed well. Then pour everything into the pot with the rest of the tapioca and mix well.
Step 3. Simmer the pudding over medium heat
When it reaches the right temperature, let it cook, stirring constantly for a couple of minutes, until the pudding becomes thick enough to veil the spoon. Simply put, when it starts to look like a pudding.
Step 4. Remove the pudding from the heat and add the vanilla
And it's ready! It can be eaten immediately or poured into molds and left to cool in the fridge for a few hours. Serve as you like with whipped cream, pistachios, nuts or raisins.
- To prevent the pudding from drying on the surface as it cools, cover it with plastic wrap, putting it well in contact. You will see that it will not dry out!
- If the pudding is too thick when you consume it, add some milk or cream to bring it back to the right consistency.
Method 3 of 3: Using Tapioca in Recipes
Step 1. Use it as a thickener
The possibilities are practically endless: tapioca can thicken everything from fillings for cakes, to soups, to stews. And, as with desserts, it helps to give some softness without adding any other sugars or carbohydrates. Just give the tapioca time to flavor well with the other ingredients in the preparation.
Quick cook tapioca is ideal as an addition to this type of dishes. Traditional tapioca sometimes tastes too strong, and risks covering up the flavor of the preparation to which it is added
Step 2. Add it to jams and jellies
If you want to add that extra something to your jams and jellies, tapioca is what you need. Tapioca absorbs the sweetness of the fruit and gives volume and texture to the whole. Add the tapioca as it cooks, so it doesn't overcook and retains the flavor.
Step 3. Make the bubble tea
Why who doesn't like bubble tea? It's like eating and drinking together, like killing two birds with one stone. And it's even cheaper and healthier if you make it at home!
Step 4. Use it as a substitute
Quick cooking tapioca can replace flour and cornstarch. The correspondence with cornstarch is 1: 1, while with flour it is 2: 1, 2 parts of tapioca for each part of flour. Whether it's by choice or by necessity, it's a life-saving idea!
