More adventures in cassava jelly

Well, I’m still working on making a proper cassava (tapioca) jelly. I know you guys must be THRILLED.

And definitely not thinking, holy shit, when is she going to make something I would actually want to eat?

The kicker is that if I make successful cassava jelly I don’t really know what I’ll do with it. Although burbur-cha-cha sounds like it might be kind of good.

It’s annoying to me that I haven’t yet had a successful attempt at making this yet, which is why I’m currently stuck on it.

Multiple attempts at the tapioca-flour method have fallen flat, and by flat I mean straight into the garbage. It seems no matter what I do, I get these hard little bits of powder that are frankly gross and unappetizing.

Today I’m trying the other method, which calls for pearl-shaped tapioca, which is soaked for several hours, and then simmer until clear. At which point you can sweeten it, add a bit of coconut milk and hey, presto, something that actually sounds pretty good.

I really would like an end product that actually LOOKS like a jelly, firm enough to cut and add to other things.

So far, so good. I’ve soaked these tapioca pearls all day, and they’re dissolving, which is what I want, I think.

I’m simmering it over low heat, and it seems to be jelling alright.

Adding a piece of rock sugar, to make it a bit sweet…and maybe some red food coloring, since I really like how it looks in some other preparations. I also added some chunks of young coconut with a bit of the syrup. (Young coconut is…well, you get three guesses. Unlike…old?..coconut, it has an almost gelatinous texture and mild, sweet flavor.)

I’m hoping that if I pour it out and let it cool in the fridge it will firm up just like jello. A girl can dream, right?