Taro and Coconut Tapioca Pearl Pudding 芋 頭 椰 奶 西 米 露

This pudding is a traditional dessert that is hugely popular in Asia. Made by boiling tiny tapioca pearl also known as sago and is combined with a sweetened milk mixture and taro. Tapioca pearl/ sago are tiny balls of white starch made from either sago palm or tapioca starch which are both gluten free. These contrast and break up the sweet milky flavour. It also adds to the pudding by giving it texture. It is delicious and is a favourite dessert for many Asian people including myself!

Make sure you stir the contents occasionally and especially when you are cooking with tapioca/sago as they will soon turn sticky. Don`t be afraid to work with this as the texture and colour will turn transparent and less sticky once they are rinsed under cold water.

Serves: 4-5
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients
300 grams de-frosted diced taro
1 can coconut milk
800 ml hot boiling water
100 ml condensed milk
60 grams rock sugar
40 grams mini white tapioca/sago
2 separate pots of water to boil tapioca and taro

Method
• Bring a pot of hot boiling water to boil on medium heat. Once the water is bubbling hot, turn the heat to a low simmer. Add tapioca/sago and stir straight away to prevent them from sticking to the pot. Simmer for 12 minutes. Stir frequently.

• Turn heat off after 12 minutes, stir well, lid on and soak for a further 5 minutes. Drain into a colander and rinse under cold running water. Place the colander containing the sago into a bowl of cold water, set aside. The tapioca should be almost transparent.

• Bring 500ml of water to boil on medium heat, once the water is bubbling hot, submerge taro cubes in water and boil for 10-11 minutes until soft. Scoop ¼ of the taro into a bowl, mash or blend the remaining taro in the pot, set aside.

• In a separate pot, add 300 ml water, bring to the boil on medium heat. Once boiling add the rock sugar and boil till all the sugar dissolves.

• Add coconut milk, mashed/blended taro, condensed milk and simmer on medium/low heat for 2-3 minutes until it bubbles. Drain tapioca and add into pot, add un-mashed taro cubes, stir and simmer for 2 minutes. Enjoy.

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