Tapioca, pearl, dry

Dry tapioca pearls are small, hard beads of cassava starch that turn glossy and chewy once soaked and simmered, the same pearls that fill bubble tea and classic tapioca pudding. Cooked slowly in milk with sugar and a touch of vanilla they thicken into a soft, spoonable pudding, and they're also used as a gluten-free thickener for pie fillings and soups when a clear, glossy set is wanted instead of a cloudy one. Larger pearls need a longer simmer and a rest off the heat to fully soften through to the center, while smaller pearls cook faster and suit puddings better than chewy bubble tea drinks.

Keep dry pearls sealed in the pantry, where they store indefinitely, and soak them in water for an hour or more before cooking to shorten simmer time and cook them through evenly. A 152 gram cup of the dry pearls carries 358 calories and 88.7 grams of carbohydrate, but only 0.19 grams of protein and essentially no fat, so tapioca is really a starch and texture ingredient rather than a source of protein or micronutrients, best paired with milk, fruit or a protein-rich course to round out the meal. Rinsing the cooked pearls under cool water also keeps them from sticking together in one solid mass.