Tapioca Flour And Boba Pearls: How To Use In Cooking?

If you have gluten intolerance, you are certainly familiar with a large part of white flour substitutes such as rice, coconut or almond powder, as well as green banana flour, coffee flour and lots of other super foods that have taken over the organic shelves of stores in recent years. In this context, have you heard of tapioca flour and boba balls that are used in various culinary preparations? We will tell you more.

Tapioca flour - the gluten-free thickener that all kitchenistas experiment with

Tapioca flour is in fact a starch extracted from the cassava root which acts as a thickening ingredient in sweet and savory dishes. Cassava cultivation, which originated in Brazil and also known as yucca, has spread throughout South America and Africa, while the culinary use of tapioca has become popular around the world.

Tapioca powder has a neutral flavor and strong gelling power. Unlike cornstarch, this product can withstand a freeze-thaw cycle without losing structure or breaking down, making it an ideal solidifying agent in homemade ice cream recipes, for example.

Nutritional information

Since tapioca is the starch extracted from the cassava root, it contains almost 100% carbohydrates. One cup of dried pearls (152g) contains approximately 544 calories, 135g of carbohydrates, 0g of fat, and 0g of protein.

Varieties

Tapioca starch has a white color before cooking but becomes translucent upon hydration. Tapioca pearls (boba balls) are also mostly white but for culinary purposes, can be tinted any shade. For the preparation of pearl tea or bubble tea, sweet black pearls are used. Moreover, the color of the product is not always linked to its flavor. In most cases, the coloring is artificial and only intended for visual excitement.

Uses of tapioca flour

Traditional uses for tapioca include puddings, different types of desserts and candies. In addition, this substance gives a creamier consistency to soups and sauces. The powder can be added to ground meat products, such as hamburger patties and chicken nuggets, as a binder and ingredient stabilizer. Tapioca traps moisture in a gel, so it's often included in baked goods to prevent the dough from getting soggy during storage.

Tapioca rolls with ham and cheddar cheese

Coconut Mango Tapioca Pudding

How to cook with tapioca?

Tapioca pearls should be soaked for up to 12 hours to swell and double in volume, then cooked in boiling liquid to form a gel. Quick or instant cooking tapioca, with a more grainy texture, can be whipped into soups, sauces, jams and jellies, pie fillings and other creamy concoctions to act as a thickener. Tapioca flour can be used instead of other flours in a 1: 1 ratio.

Follow these steps to prepare tapioca pearls for any recipe:

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Then add 1 cup of tapioca pearls, stir and bring back to the boil.

2. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often, until the beads are translucent. Take into account that the boba never cooks all at the same time. Stir to distribute the heat evenly.

3. Remove the pan from the heat when most of the beads are translucent. Drain the water. Finally, rinse the cooked pearls in cold water and use them according to your recipe.

How to prepare tapioca pancakes?

In addition to its thickening power, tapioca can play the main role in sweet and savory recipes. We present to you the recipe for pancakes with tapioca flour.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• vegetable oil to grease the pan

Preparation

1. Beat eggs with fork in medium mixing bowl.

2. Then stir in the water, vanilla and tapioca flour. The resulting pancake batter will be very runny. Let stand for 5 minutes.

3. Heat an oiled pancake pan over medium-high heat. The pan should be just hot enough for a drop of water to sizzle and jump through.

4. Holding the pan by the handle, pour about 1/3 cup of batter into it and tilt quickly in all directions to form a very thin, round layer.

5. Bake the pancake for 1 to 2 minutes on the first side, then gently flip with a spatula and wait about 40 seconds on the second side.

6. Carefully remove the pancake and place it on a plate.

7. Serve the treats with fruit compote, Nutella cream or a savory garnish of your choice such as ham or cheese.

Tapioca Pancake Recipe: thespruceeats.com