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I've got a package of Reese small pearl tapioca in front of me, ready to make tapioca pudding, but I forgot to factor in the recommended overnight soak. Is it possible to accelerate the process by soaking in warm or boiling water or by substituting a longer cooking time?

2cents
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    Typically for starches & hydrocoloids, you need to hydrate them fully before heating, or the outside will gelatinize preventing the middle from hydrating. Sometimes things are sold 'pre-gelatinized' (eg, Wondra flour, 'instant' tapioca) that don't require the cold soak first. – Joe Feb 10 '15 at 04:13

1 Answers1

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Yes, it works without presoaking. You have to cook them for quite a long time until they become quickly translucent, the small ones will need about 30 minutes at a moderate boil. It is not optimal, as the outside will become mushier in this long cooking time, but there are people who don't mind the difference.

rumtscho
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