Sweets and drinksSweet SaucesVietnamabout 60 minutes, including 10 minutes boiling, 10 to 15 minutes in ice water and 15 to 20 minutes soaking in syrup
These pearls come out soft and chewy, cocoa brown, and soaked through to the center. Tapioca starch kneaded with hot syrup gives a smooth pliable dough that rolls easily. The hardest part is the temperature of that liquid, since cool water leaves the dough crumbly and the pearls crack as they boil.
Straight out of the pot the pearls go into ice water, which keeps them chewy and stops them sticking together. The soaking syrup is cooked separately, because boiling the pearls in syrup breaks them.
This batch weighs about 710g, at roughly 140 calories per 100g.
Method
Mix 200g tapioca starch and 50g glutinous rice flour in a large bowl.
Boil 300ml water, add 45g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 5 teaspoons cocoa powder and stir until everything dissolves.
Pour the hot syrup into the flour gradually, stir roughly with chopsticks, then knead by hand until the dough is smooth, soft and no longer sticks to your hands.
Roll the dough into a long rope, cut it into small pieces and roll each one into a ball.
Bring about 2 liters of water to a boil, add the pearls a few at a time and stir gently so they do not stick to the bottom.
Once the pearls float, lower the heat and cook for about 10 minutes more so they are done through.
Lift them out into a bowl of ice water for 10 to 15 minutes, which keeps them chewy and separate.
Heat 250ml water with 90g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend until the syrup thickens slightly.
Put the drained pearls in a bowl, pour the syrup over, stir and leave them to soak for 15 to 20 minutes.
Tips
Do not boil the pearls in the syrup, since the high heat breaks them and costs the chew.
Knead while the syrup is still hot, because dough kneaded cold turns crumbly and cracks.
A dusting of tapioca starch on your hands keeps the dough from sticking while rolling.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves slowly, so stir it well in the pot and check the bottom before pouring it into the flour.
If they are not for serving right away, leave the pearls in the syrup at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours rather than overnight.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.