Friday, April 12, 2013

Coconut Tapioca Pearl Dessert 椰汁蜜瓜西米露

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If you remember my Coconut Ice Cream post, you might recall how much I “love” coconut when I was a kid!  Yes, I would literally run away from anything that has to do with coconuts, no kidding.  You can read the post here and find out what converted me to a coconut lover now.  But as much as I dislike coconut back then, this Coconut Tapioca Pearl Dessert 椰汁蜜瓜西米露 is about the only thing that I would eat that has coconut in it.  Coconut Tapioca Pearl Dessert is a very popular dessert in Asia, that you might find it on the menus in almost every single restaurant or dessert store in Hong Kong.  Quite often in most restaurants, this is a complementary dessert that is served after dinner.  There could be some variations on the fruit.  The most popular and traditional is honeydew, but you can also find watermelon, mango, or mixed fruit in this coconut based dessert these days. 

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If you’re not familiar with tapioca, it is a starch extracted from the cassava plant.  In the Philippines, tapioca is usually called sago; in Indonesia, it is called singkong.  The one I used here are made into tiny “pearls” (see picture below) from tapioca flour and water.  Tapioca flour is often used as a thickening agent in cooking and it’s gluten free.  So, this Coconut Tapioca Pearl Dessert is gluten free, dairy free, and super refreshing.  I say, it is a perfect spring time or summer time treat.  You can get tapioca pearls in most Asian supermarkets, or online these days.

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Here’s how I prepare mine.  First, soak 3/4 cup of tapioca pearls in cold water for 30 minutes.  They will absorb the water and expand a little. 

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While the tapioca is soaking, bring 1 1/2 cup of water to a boil and dissolve 1/2 cup of raw sugar (turbinado sugar) in it.  You can use regular white sugar in this recipe, which is the traditional way.  I love turbinado sugar more because it is less refined and has a natural cane sugar taste which adds nice depth of flavor to this dessert.

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This is the coconut milk that I use.  You can make your own as well if you want.

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After the sugar has dissolved, remove the pot from heat and add the coconut milk and stir well.  Let the mixture cool completely and keep in the refrigerator to chill.

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When the soaking time is up for the tapioca, drain and discard the excess water.

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In a sauce pan, bring 6 cups of water to a boil and add the tapioca.  Cook for 5 to 6 minutes and stirring occasionally.  Mine were done at around 6 minutes.  The tapioca will turn translucent when they are cooked through.

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Place the cooked tapioca in a sieve and raise them under cold water.  Of course, I didn't have an extra hand to take a picture of that as I needed both hands to drain the pot.  Smile with tongue out  But you know the dwell.  Then, add the tapioca into the coconut mixture.

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Last but not least, add 2 cups of diced honeydew into the mixture and keep in the refrigerator to chill.  For at least 2 hours or until it’s cold.  Trust me, it taste way better when it’s nicely chilled!

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So here we go, a refreshing and easy way to prepare dessert that is perfect for the hot temperature.  Hope you’ll give it a try.

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Oh, and of course, I served some in these shooter glasses as well.  These are perfect portion for parties and entertainment.   

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Coconut Tapioca Pearl Dessert 椰汁蜜瓜西米露: (Printable Recipe)

3/4 cup small tapioca pearls
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup raw sugar (turbinado sugar)
1 (13.5 ounce) coconut milk
2 cups finely diced honeydew (or any fruit you like)

In a medium bowl, soak the tapioca pearls in cold water for 30 minutes.  They will absorb the water and expand a little.  While the tapioca is soaking, bring 1 1/2 cup of water to a boil and dissolve the raw sugar (turbinado sugar) in it.  You can use regular white sugar in this recipe, which is the traditional way.  I love turbinado sugar more because it is less refined and has a natural cane sugar taste which adds nice depth of flavor to this dessert.

Remove the pot from heat and add the coconut milk and stir well.  Let the mixture cool completely and keep in the refrigerator to chill.When the soaking time is up for the tapioca, drain and discard the excess water.

In a medium sauce pan, bring 6 cups of water to a boil and add the tapioca.  Cook for 5 to 6 minutes and stirring occasionally.  Mine were done at around 6 minutes.  The tapioca will turn translucent when they are cooked through.

Place the cooked tapioca in a sieve and raise them under cold water.  Then, add the honeydew into the mixture and keep in the refrigerator to chill.  For at least 2 hours or until it’s cold.  Trust me, it taste way better when it’s nicely chilled!

76 comments:

  1. Hi Amy, very very refreshing and delicious dessert. Yours look very inviting, wish I can have some now for my tea break.:)

    As usual, your presentation look lovely and nice click.

    Have a nice weekend.

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    1. Thank you so much, Amelia. Glad you like this dessert and the way I present it. :) Wish you a wonderful week ahead.

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  2. Hi Amy, I love to have this lovely dessert now. Is super hot over here!

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    1. Thank you, Ann. Yeah, the weather has been hot in my area too. So, this is a perfect dessert to enjoy. :P Have a wonderful week!

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  3. Hi Amy
    Looking at your dessert, it just immediately have cool me down....it is super hot weather here... love this type of sago coconut dessert. So refreshing.

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    1. Thank you, Mel. I agree, the temperature here was so hot that I crave for this dessert. :) Glad you like it too.

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  4. Wow! so delicious and innovative!! :)
    http://www.rita-bose-cooking.com/

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    1. Thank you, Rita. I wish I was the one invented this dessert! hahaha...it's actually a very popular and traditional Asian dessert. :)

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    1. Thank you, Joceline. My family loves this dessert too.

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  6. I love the different presentation styles here, great sweetness!

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  7. I love Chinese dessert soups - particularly those with tapioca or sago! My sister taught me how to make a taro tapioca dessert soup and my husband loves cold mango sago but I'm getting tired of making that. : ) I will definitely make this when it warms up a bit more - it looks so easy! I don't like most things coconut but just love coconut milk! Thanks for the great recipe, Amy!

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    1. Thank you, Monica. Oh...I love the mango and taro version as well. :) Glad you and your family loves this dessert too.

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  8. Amy, your tapioca dessert looks wonderful! I must say that I am usually not a big fan of Asian desserts, but the time I played with tapioca, I was charmed: it was surprising in taste, fragrance and of course texture, but strangely addictive ;-) I promised myself to experiment with these cute balls more and then forgot. Thank you for the inspiration!

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    1. You're welcome, Sissi. Glad you love tapioca dessert. :) Hope you'll love this recipe.

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  9. I love the sound of this. I have only had tapioca once before and wasn't that keen on it but maybe I should try it again!

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    1. Thank you, Caroline. The tapioca pearl itself is pretty much mild and tasteless. It's the dessert base that the tapioca soak in that flavors it. So, hope you'll like my version better. :)

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  10. delicious dish...we make similar style of dessert for festival season in India..tapioca pearls are very good for health too..nice presentation...

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    1. Thank you, Gayathri. Glad you're family with this dessert. ;)

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    1. Glad to know that, Angie. My family loves this dessert.

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  12. I just bought tapioca pearls yesterday at the store. I grabbed the black ones in the hopes of trying out a bubble tea. I'm thinking I may need to go back for the white ones now to give this a go - it looks delish!

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    1. Oh...the black ones are much bigger in size than these white ones. These are tiny, about just 1mm in diameter. :) Hope you'll give this dessert a try soon.

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  13. Coconut tapioca is delicious. My favorite is the one with taro, but taro is definitely not in season now. I like mango and honeydew ones too!

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    1. Oh...I love taro and mango ones too. The taro really gives this dessert a richness that the fruit can't. :)

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  14. This is a really intriguing dessert! Not like anything else you usually see. Lovely presentation in tall glasses!

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    1. Thank you, Julia. Yes, this is a very popular dessert in Asia. :) I grew up drinking/eating this quite often. :)

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  15. This looks so refreshing! And such an elegant dessert! What other fruits can you use in here instead of melon?

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    1. Thank you, Anne. Besides melon, you can also use mango, cantaloupe, watermelon, taro (require some cooking though), strawberries, pretty much any fruit that you like. You can put mixed fruit in them so you get a bit of everything and make it really pretty and colorful.

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  16. Amy these little desserts are beautiful and I love coconut milk. A fancy but simple way to entertain guests at the end of a meal. A lovely gluten free option for me. I think that this would be lovely with any tropical fruits such as dragon fruits, mangos and jack fruits... but I love your melon cubes too! Delicious. Have a super weekend. BAM

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    1. Thank you, Bam. I'm glad you like this dessert too. Oh...that's so true, any tropical fruit would be wonderful in here. :) Have a wonderful week ahead.

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  17. oh, this would be so good and refreshing right now! i like how chic it looks served in glasses ~ perfect for parties ^^

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    1. Thank you, Hui. Yes, I love them in those glasses too. :)

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  18. Mhmm I love tapioca desserts!
    I'm bookmarking this one c: I
    think it will taste super
    great with summer!

    xx

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    1. Thank you. I'm glad to hear you love tapioca desserts. This is really refreshing for hot weather days!

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  19. This is my all time favorite dessert. I love your beautiful photos. Would love to have it after dinner tonight.

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    1. Thank you. Glad you love this dessert and my photos. :)

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  20. Very nice presentation and photos. I love all things with tiny tapioca pearl like this especially "sago gula melaka" (Malay language for the dessert of coconut sugar on sago pudding). However, I do not like large tapioca pearls like those found in Taiwanese bubble tea. How weird is that! :p

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    1. Thank you. Glad you love the tapioca. :) The large tapioca in the Taiwanese bubble tea are huge and so chewy! They are so different from these tiny white ones. :) Although I love them both, I can't blame you for not liking the other ones.

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  21. The desserts are so beautiful and sound wonderful. I love tapioca and this is so refreshing with the coconut milk and honeydew. Wonderful!

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    1. Thank you, Suzanne. Glad you like this dessert. Yes, it's a very refreshing dessert that's perfect for hot weathers.

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  22. Replies
    1. Thanks, Katrina. Wish you a wonderful rest of the week.

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  23. HI Amy! As child my father always said how he loved tapioca pudding. Now I know what to do. And I love the coconut milk and melon added. Good deal!

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    1. Thank you, Abbe. The tapioca pudding is another favorites of mine. :) This version is a lit lighter and more refreshing. But I do crave for the pudding every once in a while.

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  24. Sounds yummy! And I love the pop of honeydew :)

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    1. Thank you, Liz. Oh...the honeydew is so refreshing with this dessert. :) Wish you a wonderful rest of the week.

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  25. I am sure it will be a great drink on a hot sunny day.

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    1. Thank you. Oh it sure is. :) Very refreshing.

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  26. Sounds just like me- I hated coconut as a kid in all forms, but I've come to love it with age and wisdom. ;) I'm so excited for this recipe because I have a lot of tapioca pearls left over from a previous recipe project. It sounds so perfectly refreshing!

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    1. Thank you, Hannah. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one out there who dislike coconut when I was young. Let me know how you like this dessert after you try. :)

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  27. I like coconut a lot more now than I used to too. This dessert looks great in the shooter glasses with fruit on top!

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    1. Thank you, Lisa. Glad you like coconut too. This really is one refreshing dessert. :)

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  28. I love this dessert, always have....you replicate this so well!

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    1. Thank you. Glad you like this dessert too. :)

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  29. I've always loved coconut! And I've had this dessert before, but it's been years. Now you have me craving it! Love the presentation in the glasses - very nice. Thanks for this.

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    1. Thank you. Glad you love this dessert too. Hope you'll make it because it's pretty simple to prepare. ;)

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  30. Amy, you have taken me back to my childhood where we often had tapioca and sago. Hope you are having a good week.

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    1. Thank you, Carole. Oh yeah, I had tapioca dessert very often when I was young too. :) Glad it brought back some memories for you.

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  31. Amy, this is one of my fav. I can easily finish off half pot of it. haha....
    Have a great week ahead dear.
    Kristy

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    1. Thank you, Kristy. Shhh....I think you and me together, we can finish the whole batch in no time! hahahah....

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  32. These look super pretty especially the ones in the little shooter glasses.

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    1. Thank you, Linda. :) Yes, I love those in shooter glasses for portion control. :P

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  33. Amy, I like these wonderful desserts!!!!!

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  34. This looks REALLY good. I am a huge coconut fan and I've only had tapicoa in bubble tea but I imagine this tasting like chewy heaven!

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    1. Thank you, Natalie. Glad to know you love coconut too. Actually, these tiny tapioca are quite different from the chewy giant big ones you found from the bubble tea. These white ones are tender and smooth. Simply disappear as soon as you put a spoonful in your mouth. :P But still, I love them both.

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  35. This looks like such a refreshing treat! I love both coconut and tapioca so I will have to try this sometime.

    Rowena @ rolala loves

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    1. Thank you, Rowena. Glad you like it. Please let me know how they turn out of you try.

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  36. I tried making tapioca once and I was a bit disappointed with the results. Your cooking method is quite different from the directions I followed on the packet so I definitely need try it again. This is such a great looking dessert and would be so refreshing in summer.

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    1. Thank you. Oh, I hope you'll give this a try. I'm sure you'll love it. I think the package usually don't instruct you to soak them before cooking. That's a tip passed down from my family to ensure the tapioca are cooked through without over-cooking the outside. :) Hope your next try will be better.

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  37. Your post/dessert reminds me of the tapioca pudding my mom would make me for breakfast when I was small.
    The dessert sounds really delicious. Coconut and all :)

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    1. Thank you, Joyti. Glad that this dessert brings you back those warm memories. :) Yes, this is a very refreshing and yummy dessert!

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  38. I also love coconut!!
    I have never made anything with tapioca (except when I worked at this bubble tea place, but that doesn't really count) I need to try this!

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    1. Thank you, Cathleen. Hope you'll give this recipe a try and let me know how it goes. :)

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