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?)

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?)


Alton Brown on Food Network on his show "Good Eats" made this just the
other night. You might want to check it out to see how to prepare it
properly. You might like it.

itsjoannotjoann 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?)
>
>
>
> Alton Brown on Food Network on his show "Good Eats" made this just the
> other night. You might want to check it out to see how to prepare it
> properly. You might like it.
>

Thank you - Would it be this recipe?

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._29361,00.html

One time on Usenet, jake > said:

<snip>

> 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?)

Some areas of North America -- the only person I know who likes
it is Miguel (DH), but he's from the East Coast...


--
Jani in WA (S'mee)
~ mom, Trollop, novice cook ~

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?)

Good Eats just repeated their pudding episode.

So you soaked the tapioca pearls for about 30 minutes? Way too short,
according to the show. Try soaking the pearls in water overnight.

PastaLover 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?)
>
>
> Good Eats just repeated their pudding episode.
>
> So you soaked the tapioca pearls for about 30 minutes? Way too short,
> according to the show. Try soaking the pearls in water overnight.

I don't know if mine were instant? The texture was fine, after boiling.
And i tried one or two pearls before I decided to start boiling them.
The uncooked pearls disintegrated between my fingertips and didn't taste
grainy. Should I have waited anyway?

S'mee wrote:

> One time on Usenet, jake > said:
>
> <snip>
>
>
>>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?)
>
>
> Some areas of North America -- the only person I know who likes
> it is Miguel (DH), but he's from the East Coast...
>
>
So you don't like it, either?

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?)

This works well...

Pearl Tapioca Pudding

1/2 cup tapioca
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teas salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
1/2 teas vanilla

Soak Tapioca in 2 cups room temp water overnight.
Drain water. In double boiler, heat milk until
just no longer cold. Add salt and tapioca. Continue
heating till small bubbles appear at side of pan.
Cover, turn heat to very low, and cook for one hour.
Make sure milk mixture does not simmer or boil.
Separate egg whites from yolks. Beat yolks and sugar
together till light yellow. Add a little of the hot
mixture to the egg yolks and blend. Then add yolk
mixture to the hot milk mixture, stirring constantly.
Place double boiler over medium heat and cook till
thick, about 15 minutes. Beat egg whites till stiff,
fold into the hot mixture, add vanilla. Serve warm or
chilled.


Sheldon

jake wrote:
> itsjoannotjoann wrote:
> >
> > Alton Brown on Food Network on his show "Good Eats" made this just the
> > other night. You might want to check it out to see how to prepare it
> > properly. You might like it.
> >
>
> Thank you - Would it be this recipe?
>
> http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._29361,00.html


Yeppers, that's the one.

One time on Usenet, jake > said:
> S'mee wrote:
>
> > One time on Usenet, jake > said:

> > <snip>

> >>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?)

> > Some areas of North America -- the only person I know who likes
> > it is Miguel (DH), but he's from the East Coast...

> 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...


--
Jani in WA (S'mee)
~ mom, Trollop, novice cook ~

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

On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 21:33:55 +0100, 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.

Did you add vanilla?

> 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.

It shouldn't be solid at all. Should be nice and creamy, with
non-salty, non-fishy, yummy caviar in it.

> 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?)

I don't know a whole lot of people who like tapioca pudding, but
that's okay. They can give theirs to me. I make double batches of
it, and it's gone within an hour. Sometimes Crash even gets a little.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Tapioca Pudding

Recipe By :Kraft Foods
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:30
Categories : comfort foods desserts


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoon tapioca -- quick
2 3/4 cup milk
1 large egg -- well beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix sugar, tapioca, milk and egg in medium saucepan. Let stand 5
minutes.

Stirring constantly, cook on medium heat until mixture comes to full
boil. (Pudding thickens as it cools.) Remove from heat. Stir in
vanilla. Cool 20 minutes; stir. For creamier pudding, place plastic
wrap on surface of pudding while cooling. Stir before serving. Serve
warm or chilled. Store leftover pudding in refrigerator.

MICROWAVE: Mix sugar, tapioca, milk and egg in large microwavable
bowl; let stand 5 minutes.

Microwave on HIGH 10 to 12 minutes or until mixture comes to full
boil, stirring every 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Cool 20 minutes;
stir.

Note: Recipe can be doubled, using 1/3 cup MINUTE Tapioca.

Source:
"http://www.kraftfoods.com/"
Start to Finish Time:
"0:57"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
--

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

In article >,
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?)

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.

at Mon, 12 Dec 2005 16:48:02 GMT in
>, (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...

Count me among those who LOVE it. I'm not quite sure what people find
offensive about it. The taste is usually pretty creamy/vanilla. Are people
being put off by texture? It's different from certain other textures, but
not in a bad way IMHO. Those soft balls sort of squish in your mouth - a
fun texture sensation.


--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

Alex Rast wrote:

>
> Count me among those who LOVE it. I'm not quite sure what people find
> offensive about it. The taste is usually pretty creamy/vanilla. Are people
> being put off by texture? It's different from certain other textures, but
> not in a bad way IMHO. Those soft balls sort of squish in your mouth - a
> fun texture sensation.

I'm with you. I love the stuff and love the little lumps. I like food
with interesting textures, like playing with the little balls in okra,
you know?
I wonder if the OP's dislike had something to do with the way he
prepared it?

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
>
>
Bublle tea looks so festive, so I can see why it's popular. Plus,
there's less tapioca in there.

Not that it's available here. But I had it in San Franscisco once.

Goomba38 wrote:

> Alex Rast wrote:
>
>>
>> Count me among those who LOVE it. I'm not quite sure what people find
>> offensive about it. The taste is usually pretty creamy/vanilla. Are
>> people being put off by texture? It's different from certain other
>> textures, but not in a bad way IMHO. Those soft balls sort of squish
>> in your mouth - a fun texture sensation.
>
>
> I'm with you. I love the stuff and love the little lumps. I like food
> with interesting textures, like playing with the little balls in okra,
> you know?
> 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.

Sheldon 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?)
>
>
> This works well...
>
> Pearl Tapioca Pudding
>
> 1/2 cup tapioca
> 2 1/2 cups milk
> 1/2 teas salt
> 1/2 cup sugar
> 2 eggs, separated
> 1/2 teas vanilla
>
> Soak Tapioca in 2 cups room temp water overnight.
> Drain water. In double boiler, heat milk until
> just no longer cold. Add salt and tapioca. Continue
> heating till small bubbles appear at side of pan.
> Cover, turn heat to very low, and cook for one hour.
> Make sure milk mixture does not simmer or boil.
> Separate egg whites from yolks. Beat yolks and sugar
> together till light yellow. Add a little of the hot
> mixture to the egg yolks and blend. Then add yolk
> mixture to the hot milk mixture, stirring constantly.
> Place double boiler over medium heat and cook till
> thick, about 15 minutes. Beat egg whites till stiff,
> fold into the hot mixture, add vanilla. Serve warm or
> chilled.
>
>
> Sheldon
>
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.

Damsel in dis Dress wrote:

> On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 21:33:55 +0100, 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.
>
>
> Did you add vanilla?
>

A touch, yes. of vanilla extract.
>
>>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.
>
>
> It shouldn't be solid at all. Should be nice and creamy, with
> non-salty, non-fishy, yummy caviar in it.
>
Now that does sound more promising.
>

>>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?)
>
>
> I don't know a whole lot of people who like tapioca pudding, but
> that's okay. They can give theirs to me. I make double batches of
> it, and it's gone within an hour. Sometimes Crash even gets a little.
>
>
> * Exported from MasterCook *
>
> Tapioca Pudding
>
> Recipe By :Kraft Foods
> Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:30
> Categories : comfort foods desserts
>
>
> Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
> -------- ------------ --------------------------------
> 1/3 cup sugar
> 3 tablespoon tapioca -- quick
> 2 3/4 cup milk
> 1 large egg -- well beaten
> 1 teaspoon vanilla
>
> Mix sugar, tapioca, milk and egg in medium saucepan. Let stand 5
> minutes.
>
> Stirring constantly, cook on medium heat until mixture comes to full
> boil. (Pudding thickens as it cools.) Remove from heat. Stir in
> vanilla. Cool 20 minutes; stir. For creamier pudding, place plastic
> wrap on surface of pudding while cooling. Stir before serving. Serve
> warm or chilled. Store leftover pudding in refrigerator.
>
> MICROWAVE: Mix sugar, tapioca, milk and egg in large microwavable
> bowl; let stand 5 minutes.
>
> Microwave on HIGH 10 to 12 minutes or until mixture comes to full
> boil, stirring every 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Cool 20 minutes;
> stir.
>
> Note: Recipe can be doubled, using 1/3 cup MINUTE Tapioca.
>
> Source:
> "http://www.kraftfoods.com/"
> Start to Finish Time:
> "0:57"
>

Thank you. I have decided that some day I'll give tapioca a second chance.
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Stan Horwitz wrote:

> In article >,
> 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?)
>
>
> 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.

It is not known here at all, so when I did see American recipes for it,
I thought it was a well-known food. It is interesting to learn that it
is regional.

S'mee wrote:

> One time on Usenet, jake > said:
>
>>S'mee wrote:
>>
>>
>>>One time on Usenet, jake > said:
>
>
>>><snip>
>
>
>>>>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?)
>
>
>>>Some areas of North America -- the only person I know who likes
>>>it is Miguel (DH), but he's from the East Coast...
>
>
>>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 think it might taste better with some lemon.

Alex Rast wrote:

> Count me among those who LOVE it. I'm not quite sure what people find
> offensive about it. The taste is usually pretty creamy/vanilla. Are people
> being put off by texture? It's different from certain other textures, but
> not in a bad way IMHO. Those soft balls sort of squish in your mouth - a
> fun texture sensation.
>

I love it too. I make a batch every 2-3 weeks. My son always liked it when he
was living here/. Like me, he preferred the Fish Eyes and Glue pearl tapioca
to the quick cooking stuff.

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.
>

I can imagine that it was way too solid. That was a lot of tapioca. With
minute tapioca you only use a few tablespoons.. If you used 1 1/3 cups of
milk you probably needed a whole cup of sugar, two eggs and about 6 cups of
milk.

You might have tried following a recipe. You may have mad a more acceptable
result. When I use minute tapioca I soak the tapioca in milk for about 10
minutes, which in the sugar and egg and cook it for about 15 minutes on
direct heat. When cooking Fish Eyes and Glue I soak pearl tapioca in water
over night, drain off the water and cook it in a double boiler for about two
hours, then add sugar and milk and cook it until it thickens. The last batch
I made used a different recipe that involved baking it in a greased pan for
a half hour at the end. That turned out nicely.

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.

Alex Rast wrote:

> at Mon, 12 Dec 2005 16:48:02 GMT in
> >, (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...
>
> Count me among those who LOVE it. I'm not quite sure what people find
> offensive about it. The taste is usually pretty creamy/vanilla. Are people
> being put off by texture? It's different from certain other textures, but
> not in a bad way IMHO. Those soft balls sort of squish in your mouth - a
> fun texture sensation.
>

Count me in, too. Largely, I think, because the predominant flavor is
Vanilla without being cloyingly sweet. It's definately on my list of
comfort foods.

I have yet to try bubble tea, even though it's widely available around here.

---jkb

--
"Where's the 'Any' key?"
-- Homer Simpson

On Mon 12 Dec 2005 01:49:25p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it jake?

> Goomba38 wrote:
>
>> Alex Rast wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Count me among those who LOVE it. I'm not quite sure what people find
>>> offensive about it. The taste is usually pretty creamy/vanilla. Are
>>> people being put off by texture? It's different from certain other
>>> textures, but not in a bad way IMHO. Those soft balls sort of squish
>>> in your mouth - a fun texture sensation.
>>
>>
>> I'm with you. I love the stuff and love the little lumps. I like food
>> with interesting textures, like playing with the little balls in okra,
>> you know? 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.
>

That's not surprising. With water and skim milk, there's really nothing to
give it creaminess or richness, and 2 tbs of sugar seems rather little for
that much tapioca. Not sure what you mean by "tapioca flavor". Tapioca is
a starch with very little flavor on its own except "starchy".

A recipe I use calls for soaking the tapioca overnight in water, then
cooking in whole milk until completely tender. At that point egg yolks and
half and half are whished together and added to the cooking mixture, along
with flavoring of choice. At the end, the egg whites are beaten and folded
in. It's a wonderful pudding.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

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

On Mon 12 Dec 2005 01:51:09p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it jake?

> Sheldon 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?)
>>
>>
>> This works well...
>>
>> Pearl Tapioca Pudding
>>
>> 1/2 cup tapioca
>> 2 1/2 cups milk
>> 1/2 teas salt
>> 1/2 cup sugar
>> 2 eggs, separated
>> 1/2 teas vanilla
>>
>> Soak Tapioca in 2 cups room temp water overnight.
>> Drain water. In double boiler, heat milk until
>> just no longer cold. Add salt and tapioca. Continue
>> heating till small bubbles appear at side of pan.
>> Cover, turn heat to very low, and cook for one hour.
>> Make sure milk mixture does not simmer or boil.
>> Separate egg whites from yolks. Beat yolks and sugar
>> together till light yellow. Add a little of the hot
>> mixture to the egg yolks and blend. Then add yolk
>> mixture to the hot milk mixture, stirring constantly.
>> Place double boiler over medium heat and cook till
>> thick, about 15 minutes. Beat egg whites till stiff, fold into the hot
>> mixture, add vanilla. Serve warm or chilled.
>>
>>
>> Sheldon
>>
> 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.
>

Long, slow cooking in a double boiler is essential for the best tapioca
pudding. It gives the tapioca ganules a chance to swell properly, become
tender, and contribute to the creamy texture.

If you don't have the time to make it properly, then you probably should
make it at all.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

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

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 love bubble tea. Place by my office sells red bean and taro flavors (along
with the requisite lychee and coffee and strawberry and avocado flavors). Have
to be careful though, i think those things have mmore calories than a semi
truck full of big macs!

--
..:Heather:.
www.velvet-c.com

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
> A recipe I use calls for soaking the tapioca overnight in water, then
> cooking in whole milk until completely tender. At that point egg yolks and
> half and half are whished together and added to the cooking mixture, along
> with flavoring of choice. At the end, the egg whites are beaten and folded
> in. It's a wonderful pudding.
>
> --
> Wayne Boatwright *¿*


The recipe Alton Brown has said to use whole milk, NOT the lowfat
stuff, and cream. He said these are what gives it it's nice creamy
texture, along with the low slow cooking. He used quite a bit of
sugar, if I remember correctly.

And yes, I'm another one who LOVES the stuff, too!

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.

--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

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.

In article >, Dave Smith
> wrote:

What about tapioca as a thickener? Do you use the instant or minute
stuff? What proportions and how does it compare with flour and
cornstarch? I've a couple of recipes that call for it, but from the
discussion here it seems like it would glob up.

In article >, Wayne Boatwright
> wrote:

> On Tue 13 Dec 2005 05:45:57a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Stark?
>
> > In article >, Dave Smith
> > > wrote:
> >
> > What about tapioca as a thickener? Do you use the instant or minute
> > stuff? What proportions and how does it compare with flour and
> > cornstarch? I've a couple of recipes that call for it, but from the
> > discussion here it seems like it would glob up.
>
> I use tapioca flour as a thickener for fruit pies, the same proportion as for
> cornstarch. Mix with the sugar before mixing with the fruit. It does not
> "glob up".

Thanks, I'm guessing that Kraft's Minute Tapioca is not tapioca flour.
Shaking the box it sounds granular.

The recipes I saw using tapioca as a thickener were not sweets, but
entrees like stews and braises. No explanation of why they would choose
tapioca over flour or cornstarch. Just curious why.

"Alex Rast" > wrote in message
...
> at Mon, 12 Dec 2005 16:48:02 GMT in
> >, (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...
>
> Count me among those who LOVE it. I'm not quite sure what people find
> offensive about it. The taste is usually pretty creamy/vanilla. Are people
> being put off by texture? It's different from certain other textures, but
> not in a bad way IMHO. Those soft balls sort of squish in your mouth - a
> fun texture sensation.

oh I love it! Saying that I haven't had it since I was a young school kid.

Shaun aRe

On Tue 13 Dec 2005 09:47:47a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Stark?

> In article >, Wayne Boatwright
> > wrote:
>
>> On Tue 13 Dec 2005 05:45:57a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Stark?
>>
>> > In article >, Dave Smith
>> > > wrote:
>> >
>> > What about tapioca as a thickener? Do you use the instant or minute
>> > stuff? What proportions and how does it compare with flour and
>> > cornstarch? I've a couple of recipes that call for it, but from the
>> > discussion here it seems like it would glob up.
>>
>> I use tapioca flour as a thickener for fruit pies, the same proportion
>> as for cornstarch. Mix with the sugar before mixing with the fruit.
>> It does not "glob up".
>
> Thanks, I'm guessing that Kraft's Minute Tapioca is not tapioca flour.
> Shaking the box it sounds granular.
>
> The recipes I saw using tapioca as a thickener were not sweets, but
> entrees like stews and braises. No explanation of why they would choose
> tapioca over flour or cornstarch. Just curious why.

You can use minute tapioca in much the same way. Each little granule
swells and contributes to the thickening. I have used it in beef stews
that are baked in the oven for a long time at low temperature.

1 can beef broth
salt & pepper
8 ounces tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tapioca
2 pounds stewing beef, or whatever you wish to use
5 carrots
4 large potatoes
1/2 cup celery
1/2 green pepper
1 medium onion

Directions:

Mix together in a small bowl the beef broth, salt, pepper, tomato sauce and
tapioca. Pour meat and vegetables in roaster. Mix well. Cover and bake at
275 degree F for 5 hours. Do not peek or stir.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

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

> That's not surprising. With water and skim milk, there's really nothing to
> give it creaminess or richness, and 2 tbs of sugar seems rather little for
> that much tapioca. Not sure what you mean by "tapioca flavor". Tapioca is
> a starch with very little flavor on its own except "starchy".
>
> A recipe I use calls for soaking the tapioca overnight in water, then
> cooking in whole milk until completely tender. At that point egg yolks and
> half and half are whished together and added to the cooking mixture, along
> with flavoring of choice. At the end, the egg whites are beaten and folded
> in. It's a wonderful pudding.
>

I have decided to give tapioca another try some time. What you are
saying about cream is sugar makes a lot of sense now that I've tasted
tapioca without those ingredients I held back on sugar because I
*did* find the pudding sweet enough. After all, it was sweeter than
porridge Plus, I wanted to gt to know the ingredient (tapioca) and so
it was good to taste ti. Yes, it tasted fairly neutral, but it did have
a certain kind of sweetness.

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.

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.

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.

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

> On Mon 12 Dec 2005 01:51:09p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it jake?
>
>
>>Sheldon 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?)
>>>
>>>
>>>This works well...
>>>
>>>Pearl Tapioca Pudding
>>>
>>>1/2 cup tapioca
>>>2 1/2 cups milk
>>>1/2 teas salt
>>>1/2 cup sugar
>>>2 eggs, separated
>>>1/2 teas vanilla
>>>
>>>Soak Tapioca in 2 cups room temp water overnight.
>>>Drain water. In double boiler, heat milk until
>>>just no longer cold. Add salt and tapioca. Continue
>>>heating till small bubbles appear at side of pan.
>>>Cover, turn heat to very low, and cook for one hour.
>>>Make sure milk mixture does not simmer or boil.
>>>Separate egg whites from yolks. Beat yolks and sugar
>>>together till light yellow. Add a little of the hot
>>>mixture to the egg yolks and blend. Then add yolk
>>>mixture to the hot milk mixture, stirring constantly.
>>>Place double boiler over medium heat and cook till
>>>thick, about 15 minutes. Beat egg whites till stiff, fold into the hot
>>>mixture, add vanilla. Serve warm or chilled.
>>>
>>>
>>>Sheldon
>>>
>>
>>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.
>>
>
>
> Long, slow cooking in a double boiler is essential for the best tapioca
> pudding. It gives the tapioca ganules a chance to swell properly, become
> tender, and contribute to the creamy texture.
>
> If you don't have the time to make it properly, then you probably should
> make it at all.
>

Duly noted for the next time round

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!