Strawberry Tapioca Pudding

I was flipping through my only Gourmet Magazine that I own after learning that it wasn't going to be around much longer. I came across this easy recipe. Tapioca Pudding is the easiest dessert to make. Back home, we add corn kernels, pieces of pineapple, taro roots or sweet potato among others in it.



In Thai, tapioca pearls are called "Sakoo". It is derived from the name of the plant Sagu or Sago Palm that is used to make "sakoo" flour or pearls. Nowadays, most tapioca pearls are made from cassava root flour. My dad told us a story of Sagu palm trees growing along the swamp. My grandmother used to make the pearls from Sagu palm. The tree that is around 15-20 years old are cut down. The bark is peeled off and the trunks are made into "sakoo" flour.

These trees grow in the south of Thailand. There are not that many of Sagu palm left because the land is being used for other kind of farming. Although still called "sakoo", most of those pearls are made from cassava root. Cassava roots are used to make desserts in Thailand and the flour is of many uses. I remember making my own glue from heating up tapioca flour with water for school projects.

I adapted the recipe just a little to make it dairy free. I substituted cream with coconut milk, the way we would make it back home.



Strawberry Tapioca Pudding
adapted from Gourmet Magazine

2 cups water
1/3 cup small tapioca pearls
1 cup coconut cream
6 tbsp sugar, divided
1 tsp anise seeds, ground
1 qt strawberries, trimmed and coarsely chopped

Bring water to a boil in a heavy sauce pot and add tapioca pearls. Stirring occasionally to prevent the pearls sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook until tapioca is mostly clear, about 15 minutes. Add the coconut cream and whisk, add 1/4 cup sugar and 1/8 tsp of salt and simmer, uncovered, until tapioca is cooked through about 3 minutes. Make sure of stir often. Turn off the heat and cool in an ice bath. Stirring occasionally.

Grind anise seeds in grinder or a mortar and pestle. Puree strawberries, the remaining 2 tbsp sugar and anise seeds in a food processor or a blender. Divide among six glasses. Spoon tapioca over strawberries and chill until cold. Enjoy.