On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 21:54:12 +0100, jake >
wrote:

> BTW, I did actually eat the whole batch, part of it took over the role
> of oatmeal for breakfast. Probably a sacrilege of sorts, but it worked
> for me.

There is no wrong time to eat tapioca pudding.

Carol
--

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/head_trollop/my_photos

jake wrote:

>
> I think what I had was pearl tapioca. i had bought it in Germany and the
> packaging said Perlsago. There were tiny balls inside. Whether it was
> instant or not, I don't know. It is the kind available that I know of.
> When I bought it, I didn't know sago was tapioca. I also didn't know you
> *can* buy it in Holland these days. i recently saw it at a Hindustani store.

There are at least three types, minute (it actually takes longer than a minute) and
large and small pearl. The pearl variety has to be soaked in water, 3 hours for
the small and overnight for the large. The minute tapioca can be done in less than
30 minutes, but the pearl should be down on a double boiler. Minute tapioca is a
great thickener for some fruit pies. It works great with sour cherries.

jake wrote:
>
> I think what I had was pearl tapioca. i had bought it in Germany and the
> packaging said Perlsago. There were tiny balls inside. Whether it was
> instant or not, I don't know. It is the kind available that I know of.
> When I bought it, I didn't know sago was tapioca.

It's not tapioca. Sago pearls is made from the starch of the sago
palm. It is culinarilly interchangeable and indistinguisable from
tapioca... cooks exactly the same. Actually if you read the
ingredients many products labeled tapioca is actually sago.

sago
[SAY-goh]
A starch extracted from the sago (and other tropical) palms that is
processed into flour, meal and pearl sago, which is similar to tapioca.
South Pacific cooks frequently use sago for baking and for thickening
soups, puddings and other desserts. In the Orient and in India it's
used as a flour and in the United States it's occasionally used as a
thickener.
---
tapioca; tapioca flour [tap-ee-OH-kuh]
A starchy substance extracted from the root of the CASSAVA plant. It's
available in several forms including granules, flakes, pellets (called
pearl tapioca ) and flour or starch. The most widely available forms
are tapioca flour (also called cassava flour ) and pearl tapioca. The
flour is used as a thickening agent for soups, fruit fillings, glazes,
etc., much like cornstarch. Pearl tapioca is used mainly to make
pudding and comes in several sizes, regular or instant forms and in a
variety of prepackaged flavors. Pearl tapioca is available in most
supermarkets, whereas the other forms are more commonly found in
health-food stores and Asian markets. If stored in a cool, dark place,
all types of tapioca will keep indefinitely.

© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.


Sheldon

On Tue 13 Dec 2005 01:55:03p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it jake?

> Alex Rast wrote:
>
>> at Mon, 12 Dec 2005 20:49:25 GMT in <439de257$0$728$5fc3050
>> @dreader2.news.tiscali.nl>, (jake) wrote :
>>
>>
>>>Goomba38 wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Alex Rast wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Count me among those who LOVE it....
>>>>
>>>>I'm with you. I love the stuff and love the little lumps. ...
>>>>I wonder if the OP's dislike had something to do with the way he
>>>>prepared it?
>>>>
>>>
>>>Very well possible. There was water, skim mlik and about 2 tbs of
>>>sugar. And 1.3 cups of tapioca. So the tapioca flavour really came
>>>through. And tehre was no creaminess.
>>
>>
>> Well, there are your culprits. Using skim milk was mistake #1. It won't
>> get creamy with that (and it's another lesson in how it doesn't pay to
>> think you can get by with lower fat).
>>
>> Mistake #2 was 1.3 cups of tapioca. Unless you were making a vat, this
>> is way, way too much. Think how much rice you need in rice pudding.
>>
>> It doesn't take much time to recognise that indeed, you'd end up with a
>> gummy mass. Good spackling compound.
>>
> I am learning! I'd never tasted tapioca before, nor had I cooked with
>:it.

Well, then, you had no point of reference. That makes it difficult.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!

On Tue 13 Dec 2005 01:58:01p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it jake?

> Dave Smith wrote:
>
>> jake wrote:
>>
>>
>>>
>>>Thank you. This looks a lot like what I had found in They Joy of
>>>Cooking, except that they double boiled for three whole hours, which I
>>>can't fit into my schedule. And I just couldn't believe that it would
>>>take that long. So I winged my recipe instead.
>>
>>
>> Maybe you should give it a try with minute tapioca. You can put the
>> tapioca, sugar milk and egg in a sauce pan and let it sit for 10 -15
>> minutes then cook it for 15.... has to be stirred . It is pretty good
>> though IMO, not as good as pearl tapioca.
>>
>>
>>
> I think what I had was pearl tapioca. i had bought it in Germany and the
> packaging said Perlsago. There were tiny balls inside. Whether it was
> instant or not, I don't know. It is the kind available that I know of.
> When I bought it, I didn't know sago was tapioca. I also didn't know you
> *can* buy it in Holland these days. i recently saw it at a Hindustani
> store.

Yes, you had pearl tapioca. Pearl tapioca can vary in size from slightly
less than 1/8" to nearly 1/4" in diameter, the larger requiring longer
cooking.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!

On Tue 13 Dec 2005 01:59:57p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it jake?

> djs0302 wrote:
>
>> jake wrote:
>>
>>>In one word: it looked like GUNK. I had never sent tapioca pudding and
>>>never really used tapioca before. So I winged it (foodie arrogance). 1.3
>>>cups of tapioca, soaked in 2 cups of water. Which absorbed so quickly I
>>>added lots of milk after about 30 minutes of soaking. Boiled it. Found
>>>out I had to add much more milk. Added a little sugar. then even more
>>>milk. I wound up with 6 bowls of gunk.
>>>
>>>Still, it turned out way too solid for my taste. And I turn out not to
>>>be a great fan of the labor of tapioca. At the same time, it does seem
>>>to have all the makings to be a comfort food.
>>>
>>>Nonetheless, I doubt I'll ever make it again. But it's good to get to
>>>know what seems to be a tradition to people in North America (or am I
>>>mistaken?)
>>
>>
>> Next time try following the directions on the box.
>>
> There were none!

Then it would be hard to do. <g>

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

> On Tue 13 Dec 2005 01:55:03p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it jake?
>
>
>>Alex Rast wrote:
>>
>>
>>>at Mon, 12 Dec 2005 20:49:25 GMT in <439de257$0$728$5fc3050
>, (jake) wrote :
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Goomba38 wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Alex Rast wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>Count me among those who LOVE it....
>>>>>
>>>>>I'm with you. I love the stuff and love the little lumps. ...
>>>>>I wonder if the OP's dislike had something to do with the way he
>>>>>prepared it?
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Very well possible. There was water, skim mlik and about 2 tbs of
>>>>sugar. And 1.3 cups of tapioca. So the tapioca flavour really came
>>>>through. And tehre was no creaminess.
>>>
>>>
>>>Well, there are your culprits. Using skim milk was mistake #1. It won't
>>>get creamy with that (and it's another lesson in how it doesn't pay to
>>>think you can get by with lower fat).
>>>
>>>Mistake #2 was 1.3 cups of tapioca. Unless you were making a vat, this
>>>is way, way too much. Think how much rice you need in rice pudding.
>>>
>>>It doesn't take much time to recognise that indeed, you'd end up with a
>>>gummy mass. Good spackling compound.
>>>
>>
>> I am learning! I'd never tasted tapioca before, nor had I cooked with
>>:it.
>
>
> Well, then, you had no point of reference. That makes it difficult.
>

Yeah, but I was arrogant, too Or maybe optimistic.

Dave Smith wrote:

> jake wrote:
>
>
>>I think what I had was pearl tapioca. i had bought it in Germany and the
>>packaging said Perlsago. There were tiny balls inside. Whether it was
>>instant or not, I don't know. It is the kind available that I know of.
>>When I bought it, I didn't know sago was tapioca. I also didn't know you
>>*can* buy it in Holland these days. i recently saw it at a Hindustani store.
>
>
> There are at least three types, minute (it actually takes longer than a minute) and
> large and small pearl. The pearl variety has to be soaked in water, 3 hours for
> the small and overnight for the large. The minute tapioca can be done in less than
> 30 minutes, but the pearl should be down on a double boiler. Minute tapioca is a
> great thickener for some fruit pies. It works great with sour cherries.
>
>
>
Thank you for your explanation. i am guessing mine may have been
instant, or small pearl. In Germany, it is used to thicken fruit desserts.

Sheldon wrote:

> jake wrote:
>
>>I think what I had was pearl tapioca. i had bought it in Germany and the
>>packaging said Perlsago. There were tiny balls inside. Whether it was
>>instant or not, I don't know. It is the kind available that I know of.
>>When I bought it, I didn't know sago was tapioca.
>
>
> It's not tapioca. Sago pearls is made from the starch of the sago
> palm. It is culinarilly interchangeable and indistinguisable from
> tapioca... cooks exactly the same. Actually if you read the
> ingredients many products labeled tapioca is actually sago.
>
> sago
> [SAY-goh]
> A starch extracted from the sago (and other tropical) palms that is
> processed into flour, meal and pearl sago, which is similar to tapioca.
> South Pacific cooks frequently use sago for baking and for thickening
> soups, puddings and other desserts. In the Orient and in India it's
> used as a flour and in the United States it's occasionally used as a
> thickener.
> ---

Wow. I had no idea. My grandfather used to talk about sago, he was a
pastry baker (professionally). That's why I bought it when I saw it. I
only knew it form his mentioning it. So seeing it in Germany was special
.. It had gone out of style here in The Netherlands and has been
unavailable for decades.. So learning more about it from you is very
interesting.


> tapioca; tapioca flour [tap-ee-OH-kuh]
> A starchy substance extracted from the root of the CASSAVA plant. It's
> available in several forms including granules, flakes, pellets (called
> pearl tapioca ) and flour or starch. The most widely available forms
> are tapioca flour (also called cassava flour ) and pearl tapioca. The
> flour is used as a thickening agent for soups, fruit fillings, glazes,
> etc., much like cornstarch. Pearl tapioca is used mainly to make
> pudding and comes in several sizes, regular or instant forms and in a
> variety of prepackaged flavors. Pearl tapioca is available in most
> supermarkets, whereas the other forms are more commonly found in
> health-food stores and Asian markets. If stored in a cool, dark place,
> all types of tapioca will keep indefinitely.
>
> © Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
> LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

Thank you, Sheldon.
>
>
> Sheldon
>

On Thu 15 Dec 2005 02:06:14p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it jake?

>>> I am learning! I'd never tasted tapioca before, nor had I cooked with
>>>:it.
>>
>>
>> Well, then, you had no point of reference. That makes it difficult.
>>
>
> Yeah, but I was arrogant, too Or maybe optimistic.
>
>

I'll take has as being optimistic. I'm sure your next attempt will be
wonderful.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

> On Tue 13 Dec 2005 01:58:01p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it jake?
>
>
>>Dave Smith wrote:
>>
>>
>>>jake wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Thank you. This looks a lot like what I had found in They Joy of
>>>>Cooking, except that they double boiled for three whole hours, which I
>>>>can't fit into my schedule. And I just couldn't believe that it would
>>>>take that long. So I winged my recipe instead.
>>>
>>>
>>>Maybe you should give it a try with minute tapioca. You can put the
>>>tapioca, sugar milk and egg in a sauce pan and let it sit for 10 -15
>>>minutes then cook it for 15.... has to be stirred . It is pretty good
>>>though IMO, not as good as pearl tapioca.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>I think what I had was pearl tapioca. i had bought it in Germany and the
>>packaging said Perlsago. There were tiny balls inside. Whether it was
>>instant or not, I don't know. It is the kind available that I know of.
>>When I bought it, I didn't know sago was tapioca. I also didn't know you
>>*can* buy it in Holland these days. i recently saw it at a Hindustani
>>store.
>
>
> Yes, you had pearl tapioca. Pearl tapioca can vary in size from slightly
> less than 1/8" to nearly 1/4" in diameter, the larger requiring longer
> cooking.
>

Then I had a small size, the eparls were about 2 mm in size, that would
be less than 1/10 of an inch. (of course, it turnes out to have beenn
sago, but still)

jake wrote:

>
> Thank you for your explanation. i am guessing mine may have been
> instant, or small pearl. In Germany, it is used to thicken fruit desserts.

In that case, mix about 3 Tbps of Tapicoa with 1/4 cup sugar, one egg and 3 cups of milk
and whisk together. Let it sit for 10 minutes that cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes
stirring constantly until it thickens. It can be eaten warm or cold.

Dave Smith wrote:
> jake wrote:
>
>
>>Thank you for your explanation. i am guessing mine may have been
>>instant, or small pearl. In Germany, it is used to thicken fruit desserts.
>
>
> In that case, mix about 3 Tbps of Tapicoa with 1/4 cup sugar, one egg and 3 cups of milk
> and whisk together. Let it sit for 10 minutes that cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes
> stirring constantly until it thickens. It can be eaten warm or cold.
>
>
>
Thank yu for the recipe. And I'm glad that it's for small amounts. I
might try this for breakfast. Warm starchy breakfasts are great in
winter. A nice glwo in my belly.

Bob Terwilliger wrote:

> Jani replied about tapioca pudding:
>
>
>>>So you don't like it, either?
>>
>>No, I'm afraid not -- I don't like the little wads of tapioca,
>>but the flavor, IIRC, isn't too bad...
>
>
> I don't know many people who like tapioca pudding, so it's a bit surprising
> that bubble tea (tea with tapioca "marbles") is WILDLY popular. Maybe it's
> just a herd thing. (I like both.)
>
> Bob
>
>
I have always like tapioca--and love bubble tea. Re the labor
(mentioned by the OP), Minute Tapioca, anyway, can be made in
the microwave.

--
Jean B.

Stan Horwitz wrote:

> If tapioca pudding is a tradition in North America, its either a
> regional thing or in certain ethnic groups. I can easily find tapioca
> pudding on the menu at many diners and most grocery stores in my area
> (Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey), but I haven't eaten any in
> decades and I don't recall anyone I know being a fan of it.

I generally don't like the tapioca one can purchase, although
Kozy Shak (?) isn't bad. I put LOTS of nutmeg in mine--in
addition to vanilla.

--
Jean B.

"Jean B." > wrote in message
...
> Bob Terwilliger wrote:
>
>> Jani replied about tapioca pudding:
>>
>>
>>>>So you don't like it, either?
>>>
>>>No, I'm afraid not -- I don't like the little wads of tapioca,
>>>but the flavor, IIRC, isn't too bad...
>>
>>
>> I don't know many people who like tapioca pudding, so it's a bit
>> surprising that bubble tea (tea with tapioca "marbles") is WILDLY
>> popular. Maybe it's just a herd thing. (I like both.)
>>
>> Bob
> I have always like tapioca--and love bubble tea. Re the labor (mentioned
> by the OP), Minute Tapioca, anyway, can be made in the microwave.
>
> --
> Jean B.
===============

I adore tapioca pudding but have never had bubble tea. Recipe, please?
--
Syssi

Syssi wrote:


> I adore tapioca pudding but have never had bubble tea. Recipe, please?

http://www.bubbleteasupply.com/index...e=recipes.html

Bob

On Sat, 17 Dec 2005 17:16:21 GMT, "Syssi" >
wrote:

>"Jean B." > wrote in message
>>>
>>> I don't know many people who like tapioca pudding, so it's a bit
>>> surprising that bubble tea (tea with tapioca "marbles") is WILDLY
>>> popular. Maybe it's just a herd thing. (I like both.)
>>>
>>> Bob
>> I have always like tapioca--and love bubble tea. Re the labor (mentioned
>> by the OP), Minute Tapioca, anyway, can be made in the microwave.
>>
>> --
>> Jean B.
>===============
>
>I adore tapioca pudding but have never had bubble tea. Recipe, please?

I'm not crazy about "bubble" tea, I still prefer Thai tea.
BTW: Bubble tea comes in many different flavors.

http://www.q-tea.com/
http://www.fuzionbubbletea.com/images/fuzion_drink.gif

"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote in message
...
> Syssi wrote:
>
>
>> I adore tapioca pudding but have never had bubble tea. Recipe, please?
>
> http://www.bubbleteasupply.com/index...e=recipes.html
>
> Bob ===========

Thank you very much Bob!
--
Syssi

"sf" <see_reply_address_at_gmail_dot_com> wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 17 Dec 2005 17:16:21 GMT, "Syssi" >
> wrote:
>
>>"Jean B." > wrote in message
>>>>
>>>> I don't know many people who like tapioca pudding, so it's a bit
>>>> surprising that bubble tea (tea with tapioca "marbles") is WILDLY
>>>> popular. Maybe it's just a herd thing. (I like both.)
>>>>
>>>> Bob
>>> I have always like tapioca--and love bubble tea. Re the labor
>>> (mentioned
>>> by the OP), Minute Tapioca, anyway, can be made in the microwave.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Jean B.
>>===============
>>
>>I adore tapioca pudding but have never had bubble tea. Recipe, please?
>
> I'm not crazy about "bubble" tea, I still prefer Thai tea.
> BTW: Bubble tea comes in many different flavors.
>
> http://www.q-tea.com/
> http://www.fuzionbubbletea.com/images/fuzion_drink.gif
===============

Cool! I love Thai/Chai tea... but now am very interested in making the
bubble tea. Huh, whodathunk?

--
Syssi

Syssi wrote:

> "Jean B." > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>Bob Terwilliger wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Jani replied about tapioca pudding:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>>So you don't like it, either?
>>>>
>>>>No, I'm afraid not -- I don't like the little wads of tapioca,
>>>>but the flavor, IIRC, isn't too bad...
>>>
>>>
>>>I don't know many people who like tapioca pudding, so it's a bit
>>>surprising that bubble tea (tea with tapioca "marbles") is WILDLY
>>>popular. Maybe it's just a herd thing. (I like both.)
>>>
>>>Bob
>>
>>I have always like tapioca--and love bubble tea. Re the labor (mentioned
>>by the OP), Minute Tapioca, anyway, can be made in the microwave.
>>
>>--
>>Jean B.
>
> ===============
>
> I adore tapioca pudding but have never had bubble tea. Recipe, please?

Well, first you need to be able to get the tapioca balls.
Luckily they are more available than they used to be--in Asian
stores. They are usually dried or frozen. I have stockpiled
some but haven't tried making the bubble tea yet--because the
timing is critical. If you overcook the tiniest bit, the
pearls will be too soft; if you undercook a bit, the core will
be hard. They need to have just the right amount of
resilience. To make matters worse, you cannot store them for
more than a day, max. I have thought for years, someone
should vacuum pack individual servings (IF that would work).

--
Jean B.

sf wrote:

> I'm not crazy about "bubble" tea, I still prefer Thai tea.
> BTW: Bubble tea comes in many different flavors.
>
> http://www.q-tea.com/
> http://www.fuzionbubbletea.com/images/fuzion_drink.gif

Ah, but you can get Thai bubble tea!!!! What I detest are the
bubble tea lattes and smoothies.

--
Jean B.