Once you’ve soaked the tapioca, the final steps of this dessert come together quickly. If you want to amplify the ginger flavor, garnish each dish with a gingersnap cookie.
Serves 4
Ingredients
• 2-inch knob fresh ginger, thinly sliced
• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup ginger syrup
• 1⁄2 cup pearl tapioca soaked in 1 cup water for at least 12 hours
• 11⁄2 cups coconut milk
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• Pinch salt
• 6 coconut macaroons, crumbled
1. Cook ginger with brown sugar and water in a small saucepan. Boil mixture for about 5 minutes, cool, and strain, discarding the ginger.
2. Combine the ginger syrup, tapioca, and coconut milk and pour into a large saucepan. Stir in the eggs and heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly as the mixture begins to thicken.
3. Meanwhile, sprinkle the crumbled macaroons into the bottom of a 11⁄2-quart dessert dish.
4. When the tapioca pudding has thickened, spoon it into the dessert dish and completely chill until firm.
5. Pearl Tapioca
6. Pearl tapioca is made from the starch of the cassava plant. Larger and harder than the instant tapioca pearls, these require soaking for at least 12 hours, but preferably for up to 24 hours. Otherwise, they never quite soften during cooking. Despite this advance planning, the pudding is really worth the effort.
