I am so happy to be writing this because I stumbled upon Tapioca by accident, whilst rearranging the store. It was sitting right underneath my bag of rice. It was a pleasant discovery because I had insisted that my mum bring it along with her, and she had to go hunting specially for it as tapioca is not exactly common in our local markets. She won’t be too pleased to hear that I am just cooking it almost 10 months later, which jeopardises my chances of her entertaining special requests next time. Considering she will be coming over in a few months, and I already have a list as long as my arm, shhhhhhh. Lol.
I didn’t discover Tapioca until my teenage years and I loved it as an alternative to standard cereals. I don’t like milk you see, so cereals don’t have much appeal to me, much to my mother’s chagrin. I was a difficult child to feed, thank goodness she taught me early enough, how to cook for myself. Tapioca is cooked with coconut milk, and it is optional to add dairy milk, which is why I loved it, even though it tastes better with milk. Some people will be nodding their heads as they read this and the words condensed milk and/or evaporated milk will be floating through their minds. Yup, yup. I have outgrown my distaste for milk a little bit, so I made this with milk towards the end.
Tapioca is a great choice for breakfast. In many parts of the world, it is eaten as pudding for dessert. Which is where I got the inspiration from, to make Tapioca extra special. Aanu our resident baker was another inspiration, as she always stresses the need for quality ingredients especially spices in their original form. So, I took a leaf from her book, ditched the mass-produced spices and I was very pleased with the results. I hope I have awoken within you fond memories of home for those who live abroad, and for those who are at home, you guys can also share in the nostalgia. I have taken that nostalgia and I am re-creating Tapioca extra extra special with a vanilla pod and a cinnamon stick. If you have never introduced your children to Tapioca, I think you should, so that they create their own fond memories. Food and meal times are one of the most joyous memories of family. No matter how old you get or where in the world you live, those memories will always be able to tug at your heartstrings.
This is so good, I took it to work to be tasted by my colleagues who have told me countless times whilst looking through the blog, that I am in the wrong profession. Yesterday I was told to resign. All in good time. Lol………
You will need
1 cup of raw Tapioca granules
400ml coconut milk – 1 cup is 250ml so you will need 1 3/4 cups
1/2 cup of milk – i used semi skimmed milk
1 teaspoon grated coconut
1 vanilla pod – substitute with 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence or extract, preferably the extract as it tastes more natural
1 cinnamon stick – substitute with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
Sugar
For pictures of the ingredients, please click on the Ingredientspaedia page HERE and scroll down
How To
1. Soak the tapioca granules in water just enough to cover it. Let it soak until the granules are soft and plump
2. Transfer the tapioca into a pot or deep saucepan and add the coconut milk. Slice the vanilla pod across its entire length and scrape out the seeds with the tip of the knife. Also add the entire vanilla pod to the pot, which you will take out at the end. Leave the pot to boil for at least 10 minutes on low heat
Dooney’s Kitchen Tip: Coconut milk is notorious for causing starchy ingredients to burn when cooked with it. This is because it has a much higher density that water, and it also becomes creamier with heat, which makes the starchy contents stick together and of course, burn. This tip will become more apparent when I put up my coconut rice post. So, remember to lower the heat.
3. The tapioca should be thick and creamy, with a translucent characteristic to it and black flecks from the vanilla pod. Depending on how big the raw granules are, you may end up with a lumpy tapioca or a smooth tapioca. The bigger the granules, the more the lumps. Add the cinnamon stick and stir.
Dooney’s Kitchen Tip: If you like the taste of cinnamon, leave it in to the end otherwise, keep it in for a few minutes to get a hint of the flavour, and take it out, which I did.
4. For many people, cooking ends here and it is served topped with milk and sugar. I add both to the pot to allow the milk and sugar receive some heat to caramelise the sugar with the milk, thereby enhancing the taste.
Dooney’s Kitchen Tip: Heating milk changes the flavour slightly which makes it taste better and more tolerable if you are not a fan of milk. Add a few drops of vanilla to the pot, and voila – transformation. Heated milk and vanilla, yum, yum. A few years ago, I got a call from someone who was babysitting and lamenting about a toddler not eating his cereal. It kinda made me smile, cos it reminded me of me. I advised that the milk be heated up and added to the cereal. The next call I got was, you are a genius. He finished it without a single peep. Lol. His mum got back and was shocked to hear he finished the bowl. If your child/children are giving you grief during breakfast, simply heat the milk. I wish my mum knew that. Lol.
……………and that’s your Tapioca, ready to be served. You can sprinkle over a teaspoon of grated coconut for some crunch
…………………..or not
Bon Appetite……………..
Someone just asked “where do I buy Tapioca from outside Nigeria”.
My Answer – Google to the rescue. Type in – buy tapioca pearls. There are so many stores that sell it including ebay. I will go out on a limb and say check Asian stores, or speciality baking goods store.
Another question “where can I buy vanilla pods and cinnamon sticks”
My Answer – These two spices in their original form can be found in supermarkets or baking goods stores. Check the spices aisle. If it is a big store, you will definitely find it. For my readers who live in Nigeria, I am copying a response from Chef Fregz “You can get vanilla pods from L’epicerie and La Pointe, Victoria Island in Lagos retails for between 990 to 1500 for two sticks.” OUCH!!!. If you know of another source, please share it with everyone by dropping a comment. Thanks
Well done Dunni, i appreciate ur blog. Pls what is vanila pod and where can i get coconut milk?
Thanks. I have posted pictures of the ingredients here http://dooneyskitchen.com/ingredients-paedia/
You can get vanilla pod in most supermarkets, under the spices section. You should also be able to find in a baking goods store. if you cna’t find, no problem, simply use liquid vanilla extract. I hope that helps
For blog visitors in ibadan, u can get coconut milk from any of thte FOODCO outlets
Pls can i add powdered cinanmon and vanila pod? thanks
Yes you can
please am confused on what this tapioca is, the one i know is the dried one from casava used to make Abacha.
I have the picture of the dry one here http://dooneyskitchen.com/ingredients-paedia/
. I have never made Abacha before, so I really can’t confirm or deny it
Madam cook please do they sell tapioca overseas, I mean I am in new York I dont know if it is sold in a regular super market. I love ur post just feel grabing that bowl of tapioca and eat It.
You can order online. Just google Tapioca pearls. I hope that helps
HI Dooney, if you add cardamom pods, it adds a lovely taste. You can buy tapioca in Tesco in th UK or from a health food shop like Holland and Barrats.
Thanks Cella.
i love you Dunni like i love food. which is a lot. indeed we are friends. another tapioca lover sharing same passion for nigerian food
Glad to hear from a fellow tapioca lover
Abeg dooneyrooney..live me oo;;i knw wan #laugh#…come oo.. d #tapioca# u are talking# about and with dis ur #emperical# observation/conclusion# is it d tapioca gotten from ##cassava#.. Hmmm ##Smh##
Yes, it is. Lol. You are very funny
When I was pregnant, I craved Tapioca so much that the local Asda store manager gave me 10 packets one day. As I am allergic to coconut and it’s contents, I tend to use water or almond milk to cook it. Delicious. Going to try it for my son who does not like any cereal apart from muesli. Thanks. Been making use of this blog since Christmas for my Nigeria Meals.
Watee or almond milk actually does sound very nice. Please let me know how it turns out for your son. I am sure he will enjoy it
I substituted the skimmed milk with almond milk. I liked the mix of almond and coconut to the tapioca. Super yummy. I haven’t had tapioca since forever. You’re bringing back memories I tell you.
Someone recently introduced me to drinking gari with almond-coconut milk instead of water and it didn’t even seem like gari anymore.
****just seeing the almond milk comment above
Inf act, I read this and it sounded yummy, yummy, yummy.
I love Tapioca……just trying to avoid it lately because of its high carbohydrate content. The almond milk sounds really good and healthy..would try that, also the vanilla & cinnamon are great aromas/flavors that i have never thought of…..I am used to using cloves since that was what i learnt as a child but my friend doesn’t like it much so THANK YOU Dunni, i have something new to try……Thank you for this blog. Been following your posts on bellanaija 🙂
Thank you very much Olaide. I hope you try that combination. Cloves can be an acquired taste and not everyone likes it, but vanilla and cinnamon are loved by all, or I should think so. Please let me know how it goes
Sainsburys sell tapioca – I have bought from them for over 5 years. Many Asian shops stock it as well
Thank you Fola
Is the tapioca the same Nigerian Garri (Grain Type) that we all know?
No it isn’t
I do love Tapioca and use cloves to boil it rather than cinnamon stick… But I’ll try the cinnamon sticks someday. My own is how to make tapioca out of raw cassava.,, I really wanna make it cos I’m craving it and don’t have access to it here yet until mum sends…. Dunni is there a way around it? Meanwhile I soaked some cassava for like 3 days hoping to make fufu out of it… Wish me luck. Lol
Hmmmmn, I don’t know o
You could find cinnamon sticks in Indian stores in Nigeria in the spice section for much cheaper than 2 sticks for N1500. Cant remember exactly how much I bought it but I know it was no where near 1500 and there were about 6 sticks in the packet.
Thank you for the tip Chinese