8 Simple Steps to Make Tapioca Pearls from Scratch

Cassava starch is called tapioca, which is processed into several forms, one of them being in the pearl or spherical form known as tapioca pearls. These pearls are opaque in their raw form and appear translucent when cooked. Tastessence gives you step-by-step instructions to make this gelatinous food at home.

Tapioca Love!

1. National Tapioca Pudding Day is on the 15th of July.
2. National Tapioca Day is on the 28th of June.

Tapioca is a form of starch that is extracted from the ‘cassava’ root. This plant is now cultivated all over the world, but its origin was in Portuguese. Tapioca is used in many different forms and in different recipes. It is widely used as a thickener in many recipes. The starch is made in different forms: flakes, rectangular sticks, soluble powder, and pearls. Pearls, being the most widely used, are in the range of 1 – 8 mm in diameter. They are normally white, unless colors are used while processing. The pearls become translucent and chewy when cooked.

Things You’ll Need

» Water

» Tapioca Starch

» Vessel to boil

The Making of Tapioca Pearls

Step 1: Keep water for boiling.

Step 2: Remove the tapioca starch in a bowl.

Step 3: When the water is at its boiling point, switch off the gas and mix the water in the starch.

Optional: You can add any color if you want, at this stage.

Step 4: Keep mixing and knead until it forms a dough.

Step 5: Make small balls of the dough. The size depends on what you’re going to use it for.

Tip: The dough may start drying when you’re making the balls, so you can add some drops of water and knead it again.

Step 6: Let these balls dry for a few hours. You can keep it for drying overnight.

Step 7: After they are dried, cook them. For cooking, keep water for boiling. When it starts boiling, put the pearls into it and let it cook. Keep stirring frequently so that they do not stick to each other. You will see them floating above, which means that they are almost cooked. Cook it for some more time. You can taste one and decide on the time, depending on how chewy you want it to be. The total time might go up to 20 – 25 minutes.

Step 8: Drain the pearl out of the water and remove it in a bowl or some other liquid (e.g. sugar syrup or other juices).

Recipes to Use These Pearls

Use it in Bubble Tea

Tapioca pearls are normally white, but the pearls used in bubble teas are black in color. This black color is because of the brown sugar syrup.

In the last step (step 8 explained above), when you separate the pearls, put it in white sugar, brown sugar, and water mixture. The mixture is done in 1:1:2 proportion (take 1 cup of each brown and white sugar, and mix it with 2 cups of water and heat). The pearls firm up when you put them in the syrup. These pearls can then be used in your favorite flavored tea.

Use it in Tapioca Pudding

Small pearls are used in desserts normally. There are different ways of making a pudding everywhere. You can add tapioca pearls to your recipe and relish a great pudding.

Recipe
1. Stir milk, pearls, sugar, and salt together.
2. Boil the mixture and stir continuously.
3. Add beaten eggs and simmer it till the mixture is thick. It can be served cold or hot.

These tapioca pearls are relished all over the world in different forms. Try them to enjoy the flavor.

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