Let’s Cook the Ultimate Comfort Food: Tapioca Cream Pudding

I am sure that everyone can easily name their favorite “comfort food” — something that reminds them of a special food when growing up that brings back good, fuzzy memories. For my husband, this dessert is “Tapioca Pudding.” When he brought a box of instant tapioca home from the grocery store, I knew he was remembering his childhood and all those family foods which his mother used to cook. And, so I cooked “Tapioca Cream Pudding.” He loved it. I remember eating tapioca pudding when young (I hated it) — especially when sick. And so, I was pleasantly surprised with how well this tapioca pudding turned out. My creamy, sweet pudding was made with “minute” tapioca. The recipe was exceedingly quick and easy to whip up. (“Minute” tapioca should not to be confused with pearl tapioca which takes a long time to prepare.) I served the pudding with fresh strawberry slices. Wow! Perhaps I”ll eat tapioca pudding after all. This certainly is a vintage recipe from the past. Let’s cook “Tapioca Cream Pudding.”

What is tapioca?

Tapioca comes from the cassava root, a tuber native to South America. It is also a staple in the diets of Africa and Asia and grows well in tropical climates. Tapioca is a starch with very little protein or other nutritional value. However, since it is low in protein, tapioca is essentially gluten-free and fits well into these diets. After extraction, the starch of the cassava root is transformed into quick-cooking fine flakes, tapioca starch or flour or into small chewy pearls (boba).  Tapioca is a great thickening agent (great to thicken fruit pies) and it has many other uses, too. For example, Bobo is a tapioca tea common to some Asian cultures.

Tapioca pearls must be soaked prior to use in recipes. Quick-cooking or instant tapioca or minute tapioca is ready to use and quickly thickens pies, stews and puddings. Store boxes of tapioca in a dark, dry place — not in the refrigerator.

Recipe Ingredients

This is a very simple 5-ingredient recipe. Plus, it is easy to make. I used the recipe on the back of the box as a starting point.

Since it is a creamy “pudding,” the main ingredient is milk. I used the Fairlife milk brand. This brand of milk is lactose-free, an added advantage. Plus, this version is low-fat. The other ingredients in the recipe are instant tapioca (thickens the pudding), egg yolks (thickens, add richness and flavor), sugar (adds sweetness) and vanilla extract (adds flavor).

For this recipe, I used only the egg yolks (safe the egg whites for other recipes). I use this handy egg separator to separate the yolks from the egg whites.

Making the recipe.

To make the recipe, combine the milk, egg yolks, sugar and minute tapioca in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan. Stir and let the mixture sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.

Next, move the pot to the stove. Over medium heat, stir constantly and cook until the pudding comes to a rolling boil — one that does not stop with constant stirring. I love this wooden stirring spoon — it has a flat bottom and easly stirs the pot.

After the pudding boils, remove the pot from the heat and stir in vanilla extract. Let the pot sit off the stove for 20 minutes.

Now the warm pudding is ready to eat. Dig in. Alternatively, transfer the pudding a container and let it chill in the refrigerator for an hour or two. It will continue to thicken but will always be thin enough to pour. (In other words, the pudding will not turn into a solid gel.)

I chilled the pudding for a couple of hours and then transferred to a serving bowl. The pudding was creamy and smooth. It had a sweet, milky flavor (the tapioca adds no flavor).

I added a few strawberry slices for flavor.

My husband loved this tapioca pudding — he ate the entire recipe. And, I liked my “Tapioca Cream Pudding,” too. It is a great comfort food. I am glad my husband brought home the box of minute tapioca from the store. I wish that I had spent more time with my mother-in-law learning more of the family’s favorite foods when my husband was growing up. Instant tapioca — “minute” tapioca — is still available in grocery stores. This vintage recipe still has a place in our meals.

Enjoy the recipe!