Boba (Week 45, Taiwan)

This recipe is a part of my Global Vegan Challenge where each week I research and develop a recipe from a different country in the world. Many of these recipes are veganized based off their omnivore counterparts. While not all of these recipes are a one for one what you’ll find in their country, I hope you’ll still find them delicious!

Recipe Notes

Unless you’re bringing boba to a party (like I did a Super Bowl party) this will probably yield you more than you need. If you don’t want to make a full batch, you can always freeze the uncooked balls until ready to use.

Boba isn’t black or brown by default — a coloring agent has to be added. If you’d like a different color of boba, omit the brown sugar and water and replace it with juice or pureed/strained fruit of your choice. There’s a lot of different flavors you can play with here. Here’s a video for some great colorful boba inspiration.

Boba

Details

Servings

~2 cups Boba

Prep time

1 hour

Cooking time

1 hour

Ingredients

Boba
1 cup Tapioca Flour
1/3 cup Water
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
Water Bath
1/3 cup Agave
Water to Cover (as needed)

Directions

Prepare boba by placing tapioca flour in a medium sized bowl.
Boil 1/3 cup water with brown sugar, stirring frequently to prevent from burning.
Once sugar water has reached a rolling boil, immediately pour into bowl with tapioca flour. Use a spatula to gently mix. Once mixture is cool enough to handle and begins to form a dough, knead thoroughly with your hands.
Once the dough it reaches the consistency of play dough, roll out with a rolling pin until it’s about 1/8 inch thick. Slice into strips and then into little cubes. Roll each cube with your hands into a little sphere and set aside. Sphere should be roughly 1/4 inch in diameter. Set aside until all tapioca has been rolled into balls.
Fill a medium pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add the boba and stir frequently. Once the boba floats, bring down to a simmer and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes. .
After 30 minutes, turn off the heat and cover with a lid, allowing to cool for 30 minutes
While boba is cooling, fill a medium bowl with just enough water that would cover the boba. Add agave and mix well. Then add ice to create an ice bath.
Once the boba has finished cooling, drain into a colander and rinse. Once rinsed, place in agave water bath until ready for use.
Enjoy boba by itself, or serve in tea (I chose black milk tea). Enjoy!