Tapioca pearls are a bit of an unsung hero of food. The secret behind puddings, boba tea and many other popular recipes and delicacies are not given the recognition they deserve. The sweet and sometimes spicy flavoured orbs of Taiwanese origin have brought flavour, colour and excitement to many recipes. There are many varieties of tapioca pearls that include original black, flavoured, popping, mini, and clear. You may consider using them but have wondered how to store cooked tapioca pearls. To know how to do this first we must understand tapioca pearls and their make up.
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What are Tapioca Pearls?
Tapioca pearls are see-through round balls or pearls that are made from starch that is extracted from the cassava root, tapioca. The small balls range in size from five to ten millimetres in diameter and are often filled with various ingredients including sweet potato powder, potato powder or a jelly. This is flavoured with a variety of things including fruit, sugar, spice and creamy flavours. One recipe that is quite popular that utilises cooked tapioca pearls is tapioca pudding. In the case of tapioca pudding pearls, they are filled with cassava root powder or sweet potato powder. They are cooked in a two-period system that fast boils them and then slows boils them. This is done to cook them but prevent them from sticking together. So how do you store cooked tapioca pearls?
What To Watch Out For
Tapioca pearls have a coating that is made from starch extracted from the cassava root. It is almost universal for starches to become sticky when they are cooked and moist and this is one of the issues you will need to guard against when you think about storing your tapioca pearls. A secondary issue is that you may find your tapioca pearls start to harden soon after cooking. They are unusable in the state so any storage method will have to guard against this from happening. Finally, any storage method that is successful with tapioca pearls will have to take into consideration the reuse of the pearls after storage.
In syrup
You can store cooked tapioca pearls in syrup. This method is recommended if you want to use the tapioca pearls within 24 hours. To store them in syrup you will need a glass, plastic or ceramic container to hold them in. Before placing the tapioca pearls in the container you can add a sugary syrup if you had not already done this when serving them. The syrup will help to prevent the pearls from sticking together. This method is meant for keeping tapioca pearls for short periods of up to 24 hours. You can refrigerate your cooked tapioca pearls in syrup but after 24 hours you will start to get hardening of the outer casing. Once this is done you do not have long to use your tapioca pearls. If you are unsure about how soon you will need to use your tapioca pearls after cooking them it is best to keep them out of the sugar syrup.
Freezing Cooked Tapioca Pearls
Just because you cannot refrigerate cooked tapioca pearls does not mean you cannot freeze them. Freezing is a great idea if you intend to use your tapioca pearls after more than a few hours or do not know when you will use them. The best vessel for freezing your cooked tapioca pearls is a resealable freezer bag. It is advisable to use a heavy-duty bag to protect from tearing which can cause freezer burn. You will need to place enough tapioca pearls in your freezer bag such that when laid flat you get a single layer of tapioca pearls. Once you have your tapioca pearls in the bag lay it flat and get out as much air as you can from the bag. Seal the bag and then lay it flat in the freezer. Once frozen you can keep tapioca pearls indefinitely in the freezer though it is best to use them within 3 months of freezing. To use your tapioca pearls it is best to take them straight from the freezer and into boiling water. As the tapioca pearls are already cooked there is no need for a two-stage cooking process, your goal is to reheat the tapioca pearls. Place them in boiling water for 5 minutes and remove once 5 minutes is up. You can then add the tapioca pearls to your chosen recipe as you normally would.
How To Tell If Tapioca Pearls Have Gone Bad
If you have placed your tapioca pearls in sugar syrup and then refrigerated them you should be aware that they maintain the best quality for 24 hours. After 36 hours in the refrigerator, you will start to notice white strands appearing in the syrup. These occur as the outer casing of the tapioca pearls hardens and some separation occurs. At this point, it is not advisable to use the tapioca pearls. After 48 hours the tapioca pearls will completely harden.
You have two options when it comes to storing cooked tapioca pearls and it comes down to how you soon after you want to use them. If you are confident you will use them within 24 hours storing them in a sugar-based syrup in the refrigerator will work just fine for you. If you are not sure when you will reuse them then it is best to store your tapioca pearls in the freezer in a heavy-duty resealable freezer bag.
