Sweet, creamy, and oh-so dreamy! Not to mention so very easy!
With the rising popularity of Thai drinks with boba pearls, you might have heard the word “tapioca” a lot more often! Before the surge in interest for these sweet Thai drinks, tapioca was associated with pudding! It can be hard to imagine that the chewy, springy consistency of boba pearls is the same substance used for tapioca pudding. But the fact is that both are made from the same plant.
The word “tapioca” is derivative of a Northern Brazilian Tupi term for “coagulant” that was adopted by the Portuguese conquistadors who arrived in the region circa 1500. The flour-like substance was produced from the cassava plant and has, since, been produced into ready-made forms like pearls of various sizes, soluble rectangles, and hot-dissolving powder.
Whipping up a batch of tapioca pudding for breakfast is an easy way to sate that sweet tooth. The velvety smooth, chewy pudding result also serves as an excellent base for your favorite toppings, be they fruit, chocolate drizzle, or even just a shake of ground cinnamon! Savor the flavor possibilities this simple tapioca recipe can bring!
Is Tapioca Pudding Healthy?
Because tapioca is a starch, it is almost entirely composed of carbs (only further carbo-loaded with the added sugar in our recipe), which makes it a keto no-no. Milk and eggs keep tapioca pudding from a vegan menu and refining cassava to make tapioca contradicts paleo diets. While some of these traits can be circumvented with substitution (such as vegan egg and plant-based milk), there is simply no swapping out all of the ingredients necessary to make tapioca pudding without fundamentally losing what makes it tapioca pudding in the first place.
Mi cassava, tu cassava
You might have read earlier in this article about how Thailand has been producing tapioca pearls for its beverages and how tapioca was introduced to the West by Northern Brazilian natives and gotten confused. How can a product so early discovered in South America be popular in Southeast Asia? Well, the trick is in the climates of both regions!
North Brazil and Thailand both have climates that are ideal for growing cassava root, the tuber from which tapioca is derived! On other sides of the Pacific Ocean, both have just the right conditions to grow their own respective breeds of cassava plant, and both have learned to produce that coagulant substance from refining the vegetable.
One reason Thai drinks are growing in popularity is because of commodity cultural exchange and the growing influence of Asian cultures on American food sensibilities and interests. Meanwhile, classical tapioca pudding (a dish that also appears in Asian cuisine) takes a zeitgeist sideline to the colorful and texturally dynamic drinks that have exploded in popularity.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup small pearl tapioca
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine
Mix milk, tapioca, sugar, and salt; bring to boil.
Thicken
Simmer until pearls are translucent; stir in eggs.
Finish
Cook until thick; add vanilla, and serve warm or chilled.
Devour!
FAQs & Tips
Tapioca pudding is best served chilled! Making it ahead is easy enough, but storing it for later consumption only makes it tastier. Enjoy a smooth, sweet breakfast anytime by storing your finished tapioca pudding in small jars and refrigerating them for up to nine days.
If you aren’t careful when mixing in your eggs, you’ll end up curdling them—essentially cooking scrambled eggs into your sweet pudding! Unfortunately, this is irreversible and requires you to start your pudding over again!
Try (incrementally) adding more tapioca starch to help absorb that excess, or let your pudding sit overnight to absorb all that runniness and turn into a delightfully coagulated chilled treat!
Serving Suggestions
Serve your tapioca pudding with berries, ground spices, or gourmand flavors like chocolate and caramel! It’s also not a bad side for a number of breakfast feasts, like colorful breakfast hash (complete with squash, kale, sweet potato, and bacon!), deliciously fluffy (and surprisingly bright!) lemon pancakes, or a classic breakfast quiche (with all the fixings!).
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup small pearl tapioca
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine milk, tapioca, sugar, and salt. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, continuing to stir, until the tapioca pearls are fully translucent and the mixture has thickened.
- Gradually whisk in the beaten eggs to the saucepan, ensuring to stir quickly to incorporate without curdling the eggs.
- Continue to cook over medium-low heat for another 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the pudding is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Let the pudding cool for a few minutes before serving warm, or chill in the refrigerator if preferred cold.
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
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