Taiwan fruit desserts
Kefir Coconut Tapioca with Mango
Chewy tapioca pearls, coconut milk, cold kefir, and ripe mango make a layered dessert that is creamy without losing its tropical freshness.
Make it
Method
- Cook the tapioca in a large pot of boiling water according to its package timing, stirring often so it does not stick.
- Follow the packet’s cooking and standing instructions until the pearls are tender all the way through, with no hard centre. Drain and rinse briefly under cool drinking water.
- Warm the coconut milk and sugar just until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil it down.
- Stir the cooked tapioca into the coconut milk. Set the bowl in an ice-water bath and stir to cool below 30°C promptly, then fold in the cold kefir.
- Cover and chill for 2 hours. Stir, divide into six bowls, and add mango just before serving.
Cook the pearls in water
The pearls cook separately in water, so they can soften before meeting the richer coconut mixture. Kefir goes in after cooling. Want a dessert that sets without cooking pearls? Try vanilla panna cotta.
Store it
Cool promptly, keep covered at 4°C or colder, and use within 2 days. Do not leave cooked tapioca at room temperature.
Fresh or frozen mango
Use ripe, sweet mango. Thaw frozen mango in the fridge and drain it before adding it to the bowls. Follow any cooking instruction on the fruit packet. Keep coconut milk for the base; coconut drinks sold for drinking may be much thinner.
Check the pearls before chilling
Check for a hard centre before draining the pearls; if present, follow the packet’s remaining cooking or standing steps. A grainy dairy mixture can result from adding kefir while hot, though the kefir itself may also vary in texture. Cool the coconut base as directed before mixing.