Tapioca

Tapioca

Tapioca, a starch extracted from cassava roots, is commonly available in three forms. Pearl tapioca (which comes in both small and large sizes) and quick-cooking tapioca are available in most supermarkets. Tapioca flour or starch (also called cassava flour) is more commonly found in natural food stores and Asian and Latin American markets.

• Pearl tapioca is typically used to make puddings; it must be soaked for several hours to soften it before cooking.
• Quick-cooking tapioca, a granular form, is most often used as a thickener and doesn’t require pre soaking.
• Both pearl and quick-cooking tapioca are cooked through when they’re absolutely clear.
• Tapioca flour and quick-cooking tapioca are excellent thickeners for sauces, fruit fillings, soups, glazes, and so on. Tapioca-thickened mixtures don’t require stirring during cooking, can withstand long cooking times, and don’t get cloudy. Unlike cornstarch- and flour-thickened preparations, tapioca-based mixtures don’t break down when frozen, then reheated. However, quick-cooking tapioca leaves tiny pieces of tapioca suspended in whatever it thickens, whereas tapioca flour produces a smooth mixture.
• If you can’t find tapioca flour, and don’t like the small, cooked bits that quick-cooking tapioca leaves in soups, sauces, and so on, process quick-cooking tapioca in a blender or food processor until powdery.
• To thicken mixtures with tapioca flour, first make a thin paste by combining it with water, then stir it into a hot liquid.
• Once tapioca is added to a liquid, don’t let the mixture boil or the tapioca may get stringy.
• Over stirring a tapioca mixture while cooling produces a sticky, gelatinous texture.