Tapioca Pearls questions

[Tuchodi]

I am going to make a Norwegian fruit soup my mother use to make. I have found a recipe on the net that calls for minute tapioca. My Mom used to use the pearls which I have but on her recipe sheet she does not say anything about how to prepair the pearls. Any idea how long they need to be cooked until tender?

 

[Michael in FtW]

You might try looking at this recipe for Norwegian Sweet Soup which uses large pearl tapioca for an idea on how to handle it. Other recipes I found in a Google search used a "quick soak" method, instead of soaking overnight, adding the tapioca to a pot of water, bringing to a boil, removing from the heat and let sit for 2 - 2 1/2 hours. And, there is the question of large or small pearls - and what consistency you are going for ... one pudding used small pearls and didn't reguire a pre-soak.

 

[QSis]

Hmmm. Does this help, Tuchodi?

http://coffeetea.about.com/cs/bubbletea/ht/ht_tapioca.htm

I just Googled "tapioca pearls". This does not sound like "Minute Tapioca", but if you have the regular, it should work.

Lee

 

[Chopstix]

What I do with regular Tapioca pearls is to boil them, cover, turn heat off, then leave them untouched overnight. This way, the pearls come out cooked through and ready to use. Otherwise, if you boil them continuously, it will take a long time and even then, they won't be cooked through.

 

[boufa06]

Tapioca pearls are similar to Sago Pearls and they come in various sizes. In Asia, they are used in bubble tea (a craze in Taiwan those days) and in desserts. To cook them, first soak them in cold water for a few minutes. Once they expand, drop them in an uncovered pot of boiling water. Cook them until they become transparent and float on top evenly. Drain and rinse them in cold water to prevent them from sticking together. If overcooked, tapioca pearls will disintegrate. Therefore they should be added last in cold desserts. In parts of Asia, they are also used in hot desserts like mung beans, red beans, sweet potatoes along with palm sugar and even coconut milk, so adding them at the right time is important to ensure that the desserts do not turn mushy.

 

[Ishbel]

Tapioca pudding was a staple 'nursery' food in the UK when I was growing up. The regulation school versions are the stuff of nightmares to many of us - lumpy and grainy....

But my Mum's version was creamy and really great - served with a dollop of home made strawberry or raspberry jam on top of the hot pudding, which you would then swirl through the pudding... YUM

 

[Tuchodi]

Thanks everyone for the info. Michael and Chopstix you both had the rite idea and I tried it last night befor bed. This morning the pearls are translucent and ready for the soup. Yum

 

[Chopstix]

Thanks for letting us know how it went

 

[Michael in FtW]

To echo what Chopstix said - thanks for the update, Tuchodi!!!

We have a lot of people asking for help but few are as considerate as you to let us know how things turned out.