Coconut tapioca pudding / 椰奶西米露

Tapioca pudding is a simple traditional dessert that's popular in Southeast Asia. Also known as sago pudding, it is made by boiling mini pearl tapioca/pearl sago that is then combined with a sweetened milk mixture. The most common flavor is coconut, though one can add a variety of fruit to the basic recipe.

Recipe: Coconut tapioca pudding / 椰奶西米露

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mini pearl tapioca / pearl sago / 西米*
1 can (10 oz) of coconut milk / 椰奶**
1 can (9 oz) of sweet condensed milk (can substitute with whole milk and sugar)
Milk (optional)

Notes on ingredients:
* Mini pearl tapioca / pearl sago / 西米 has many different English names. Basically, it's mini balls of starch used often in Southeast Asian desserts or beverages. It is often made with sago palm starch but occasionally made from tapioca starch as well. Either way, it is naturally gluten-free. You can find it in Asian grocery stores, usually under the name "tapioca pearl." It will be white and the each ball is barely larger than a grain of rice. If the "tapioca pearl" you see is black or multi-colored and the size of a pebble, that's for use in bubble teas and not for this recipe.

** Coconut milk / 椰奶 is a sweet thick white substance derived from coconuts. It is different from coconut water. It is also not the same thing as the coconut milk beverage sold by western brands like So Delicious. You can find canned coconut milk at Whole Foods (close to Thai and other Asian food ingredients) or your local Asian grocery store.

Directions:

Boil water in medium sized pot. Once water is boiling, put in 1/2 cup of mini pearl tapioca and continue cooking at medium-high heat. Stir occasionally. Let boil until mini pearl tapioca is almost completely transparent.

Meanwhile, combine coconut milk and sweet condensed milk in small pot. If you don't have sweet condensed milk, you can also use whole milk and sugar instead. Heat the mixture over low heat. If the mixture is too thick, you can add milk as desired. Stir until well combined. Turn off heat and let cool.

When mini pearl tapioca is almost completely transparent with just a little hint of white in the center, turn off heat. Strain mini pearl tapioca using a strainer. Put mini pearl tapioca into cold water for a minute. Strain mini pearl tapioca again. The mini pearl tapioca should now be completely transparent.

Spoon mini pearl tapioca into dessert bowl. Pour the now-cool milk mixture over mini pearl tapioca. Serve and enjoy!