Tapioca pearls

They are made from tapioca starch, extracted from the cassava root and shaped into small beads. They have little flavour of their own, so they take on the taste of the liquid and other ingredients they are cooked with.

Use plenty of boiling water and stir in the pearls so they do not clump. Cook until they turn translucent, following the packet’s timing because small pearls can take about 10–15 minutes while larger ones take longer; drain and rinse briefly with cold water.

Small pearls usually go straight into boiling water, while larger pearls may need soaking or a longer simmer. Follow the cooking directions for the size you have, and soak only if instructed, as soaking small pearls can make them break down.

Simmer tapioca pearls gently in milk, stirring often so they do not stick to the pan. When the pearls are translucent and tender, sweeten and flavour with vanilla; let the pudding stand briefly to thicken, then serve warm or chilled.

Small sago pearls are the closest substitute: cook them until translucent and use them in the same kind of milk pudding. For a different texture, rice or semolina can thicken a pudding, but neither gives the characteristic chewy pearls.

Keep cooked pearls covered in a little of their cooking liquid in the fridge and use them within a day, as they harden and lose their chewiness. Uncooked pearls should be kept dry in an airtight container.

No. Dry tapioca pearls are hard and should be cooked until soft and translucent before eating. Do not swallow dry pearls, particularly when serving young children.

They are similar in appearance and use, but traditionally come from different plants: tapioca is made from cassava starch, while true sago comes from the pith of certain palm trees. Commercial sago may also be made from other starches, including tapioca.