By Request

By Catherine Kekoa Enomoto

Wednesday, March 18, 1998

By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin
Tapioca is the dessert of choice at
Dynasty II Restaurant's Sunday buffet.

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Tap into a pearly dessert

CHANNY Yam of Dynasty II shared his restaurant's tapioca-dessert recipe, sought by Shirley Lee of Nuuanu.

"The Sunday buffet was excellent, but what everyone enjoyed most, from Popo and Grandpa to the littlest cousins, was the tapioca dessert," Lee wrote after her daughter's fourth birthday party at the Ward Warehouse restaurant.

"It looked like fish eggs in coconut milk and was so refreshing," she said of the tapioca. "Our daughter had two servings. It surely was a hit!"

Executive chef Ping-Mau Au's original recipe, which made 30 servings, called for a 14-ounce package of tapioca, 2 gallons of water, 2 pounds of sugar, 1 large can of evaporated milk, and a 12- to 14-ounce bottle of coconut syrup. However, home cooks can reduce quantities proportionately, which we did below to serve 6.

A tapioca recipe from "The Food of Paradise -- Exploring Hawai'i's Culinary Heritage" by Rachel Laudan (University of Hawai'i Press, 1996, $24.95) also follows.

Laudan's recipe uses the microwave instead of the stove top to eliminate sticking and burning.

She adds that tapiocas vary, so experiment with cooking times. Thais prefer pudding a bit runny, so vary the amount of coconut milk to adjust the texture to taste.

Dynasty II tapioca dessert
with melon

Channy Yam, assistant manager, Dynasty II restaurant

1/5 of 14-ounce package small tapioca pearls (or 2.8 ounces), available in Chinatown
6 cups plus 6 tablespoons water
1 cup minus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons evaporated milk
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon coconut syrup, available in Chinatown
Diced honeydew melon or other fresh fruit to taste

Rinse tapioca pearls. In a large pot, combine tapioca pearls and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook 10 to 15 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent sticking. Stir in sugar, evaporated milk and coconut syrup; then cook until tapioca pearls are soft. Remove from heat and let stand until cool. Chill. Garnish with melon.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional information not available.

Apple banana-coconut
tapioca pudding

"The Food of Paradise" by Rachel Laudan

2-1/2 cups water
3 tablespoons brown sugar or palm sugar (see note)
Pinch salt
1/4 pound quick-cooking pearl tapioca
3/4 cup coconut milk (frozen or canned)
2 apple bananas

Pour the water into a large microwave dish and heat to boiling. Add sugar and salt, and stir until dissolved. Add tapioca and microwave at half power for 10 minutes. Check. If the tapioca has not softened and thickened, continue microwaving a few minutes at a time until that happens. Remove from the microwave and stir in the coconut milk.

Take 4 glass dishes, slice half an apple banana in the bottom of each, and pour the tapioca pudding over the fruit. Press plastic wrap over each surface to prevent hardening and allow to cool to room temperature. Serves 4.

Note: Find small plastic cartons of brown, aromatic palm sugar in Asian stores. It gives the dish an appealing pale coffee color and pleasant aroma. Substitute brown sugar if desired.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 260 calories, 9 grams total fat, 8 grams saturated fat, no cholesterol, 50 milligrams sodium. Per serving using lower-fat coconut milk, such as Thai Agri or Thai Lite: 260 calories, 9 grams total fat, 8 grams saturated fat, no cholesterol, 50 milligrams sodium.*