Tapioca

I've always liked tapioca, but in truth, have seldom chosen it for a dessert because the way it's usually prepared is too custard-like for my taste. This past winter, Samuel and I have had many a lunch at Thai City in Hillsdale. Their lunch specials are affordable and delicious, and the owner and staff are the friendliest I've come across in a long time. After every lunch, we were served a tapioca dessert. A starch made into pearls from cassava root (if you're interested, this process is fascinating), tapioca can be used and prepared in a variety of ways. I asked about their in-house tapioca recipe one afternoon, then did a little research online. Here's how I made it:

Coconut milk, coconut meat (fresh coconut is preferable, but I wasn't confident in my abilities to crack it open, so we went with canned), tapioca pearls, sugar, frozen or fresh corn kernels, and salt.
Slice up the coconut meat into thin strips. Landon did this step for me.

For two to three people, bring two cups of water to a boil, then slowly pour in 1/2 cup tapioca pearls. Turn the heat to low, and cover, letting simmer. Stir frequently to avoid pearls getting clumped together or sticking to the bottom of the pan.

You will find that tapioca takes on an egg-white consistency once heated.
In the end, we had a delicious bowl of Thai Tapioca. I'm not sure if this is a traditional Thai recipe, but it's a good one. The combination of the sugar and the salt in the coconut milk is delicious. I will post the recipe below:

2 cups water
1/2 cup tapioca pearls
1/3 cup sugar (or less to taste--I recommend less)
1/3 cup coconut meat
1/4 to 1/3 cup corn kernels
1/3 cup coconut milk
pinch of salt

Bring water to boil. Slowly pour in tapioca pearls. Cover & simmer, stirring every few minutes. After 20 to 30 minutes, when tapioca pearls are just about clear & there are no more white pearls, stir in the sugar, corn kernels, & coconut meat. Dissolve the salt in the coconut milk and heat in the microwave or stove, but do not let the coconut milk boil. Serve tapioca mixture into bowls and pour coconut milk over the top.

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