Creamy Tapioca & Coconut Custard

1. Cook Tapioca Pearls

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a wide pot. Once boiling, sprinkle in 0.75 cups of regular tapioca pearls. Lower the heat and let the tapioca simmer gently for about 15 minutes.

2. Simmer and Add Salt

After 15 minutes, add a pinch of salt and 0.5 cups of hot water to keep the mixture from becoming too thick. Continue to simmer for another 5 minutes until the pearls are translucent and the mixture has thickened slightly.

3. Sweeten Tapioca

Stir in 0.75 cups of sugar and cook for a few more minutes until the sugar is fully dissolved. Pour the tapioca mixture into a 7-inch square cake pan or an 8-inch pie plate and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

4. Prepare Custard

Whisk together 4 large egg yolks and 3.5 tablespoons of finely chopped palm sugar in a bowl until well combined. In a separate bowl, sift 2 tablespoons of rice flour into 1 cup of thick coconut milk and stir until smooth. Add 0.25 teaspoons of vanilla extract to the coconut milk mixture.

5. Cook Custard

Combine the coconut milk mixture with the egg yolk mixture, whisking until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a double boiler and cook over simmering water, stirring constantly for about 5 to 10 minutes until the custard thickens.

6. Combine and Chill

Pour the thickened custard over the set tapioca in the pan. Smooth the top with a spatula and let it cool at room temperature for about 5 minutes before refrigerating. Chill until the custard is firm and well set.