Tapioca Pudding - Vegan

I was just browsing through some items at a local oriental grocery store the other day and I saw a bag of tapioca for $0.99. I've never bought or cooked tapioca before, so I don't know if it's a good price or not, but... I thought, "hey I could make some tapioca pudding and it's only ninety-nine cents even if it doesn't turn out to be good!" The instructions on the bag were written in poorly translated English, but I think I got the essence of how to cook it. I understand some people are absolutely turned off by tapioca's texture... so this may not be for everyone. But, if you like something light for a dessert, you may want to give it a shot!

What goes in your body (4-6 vegan):

• 1/4 cup of small tapioca pearls
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1-2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• 2 tbsp flaked coconuts (optional) 

 You are going to:

1. In a medium sauce pan, bring 4-5 cups of water to boil.
2. Add tapioca to boiling water, cook for about 5 minutes, turn off the heat and let it stand for an hour.
3. Using strainer, rinse tapioca under cold running water. If the pearls get stuck together, separate them into individual pieces with you finger.
4. In a bowl, mix tapioca with coconut milk. (Add some water if needed to achieve desired consistency.)
5. Mix in sugar and optional ingredients.

  Secrets from the chef:

• Stirring frequently while re-hydrating tapioca will prevent them from sticking together. 
• Tapioca is made out of starch extracted from cassava ( a root vegetable commonly used in Southeast Asia and South America) and is gluten free.

Bon appétit!