How to Cook Large Tapioca Pearls and Tapioca Pudding
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Asian Fusion
Prep Time: 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 20 minutesminutes
Soaking:: 8 hourshours15 minutesminutes
Total Time: 25 minutesminutes
Servings: 6servings
Calories: 217kcal
Author: Marvellina
Learn how to cook large tapioca pearls without long hours of boiling. The tutorial also includes how to make thick and creamy pudding using large tapioca pearls. The recipe includes vegan version without using dairy and eggs.
Do not soak the tapioca pearls when they are still raw. At least not the kind I use. They will dissolve into starch. We need to precook it and then soak them
Place 8 cups of water in a large pot with a lid. Bring to a boil and add the tapioca pearls. Bring it back to a boil and then immediately lower the heat to let them gently simmer for 5 minutes, give them a stir once or twice to prevent the pearls from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Turn off the heat and cover the lid and soak for a minimum of 8 hours but no more than 12 hours. It's going to save you from long hours of boiling
After soaking:
Discard the soaking water and rinse the pearls to get rid of excess starch. Put a fresh 8 cups of water back into the pot. Add the presoaked pearls back in. Turn on the heat to medium and bring it back to a gentle simmer, give them a stir. Cover with a lid and lower the heat to avoid it from boiling over. Let it simmer for the next 15 minutes. Then turn off the heat, do not open the lid and let them soak for another 10-15 minutes (sometimes maybe longer depending on the tapioca pearls you use)
Uncover the lid and you will see all the large pearls have turned translucent, and if you press on the pearls, they are soft and chewy. You may see a few pearls with some white center, but if you squeeze those pearls, they are actually soft and chewy already. Drain off the cooking water and gently rinse the pearls with some water
If not using the tapioca pearls immediately:
Simply toss them with a tablespoon of sugar and they won't stick to each other anymore. They can be stored at room temperature for about a day or two
If using them to make tapioca pudding:
Put milk (or milk of your choice, preferably full fat/cream for the best result), sugar and the tapioca pearls in the pot. Bring the milk to a gentle simmer, don't hard boil it. Cook until sugar dissolves
Temper the egg yolk (skip for vegan version):
With one hand keep whisking the egg, slowly add some of the milk into the egg and keep whisking. This is to temper the egg so it won't curdle when you add it to the milk. After that, gradually pour the egg mixture into pot and keep stirring. The mixture will thicken. It may not thicken as much but it will continue to thicken as it cools down. Remove from the heat and add vanilla extract and stir to combine
Thicken with cornstarch (for vegan version):
Mix cornstarch with water and stir until they are combined. Stir this into the pot while another hand keep stirring. Off the heat. Add vanilla extract and stir to combine. The mixture will thicken and will thicken further when it cools down.
Serving:
Let it cool down for about 5 minutes at room temperature. I love to eat my tapioca pudding warm, but you can chill it in the fridge after it has cooled down
Storing:
Leftover can be kept in a container once it cools down completely. Try to consume within 3 days for the best taste and texture. Simply reheat in a saucepan by adding a splash of milk (or as much as needed) to thin it down a bit and keep stirring and the thick pudding will loosen up to the consistency you like and you can have them warm again