Boba in Quarantine / DIY Boba

So during this lockdown period, I’ve barely gone outside, which means I’ve gotten my boba fix less…or so I thought. In reality, instead of me going out, my dad has been going out every weekend or so, so I’m still getting my weekly dose of tapioca. But in case that you aren’t able to go out and get your boba fix, I’ve got the solution for you. Homemade boba! I know there are companies selling their own premade boba, or you can get “instant” boba from the asian supermarket or the internet. Supposedly my mom bought it once, and we didn’t like it (I don’t remember this). It may be a bit of work, but trust me, it’s definitely worth it. Your hard work will definitely pay off, and you finally know what’s in that chewy thing you’re eating.

This recipe is adapted from many DIY brown sugar boba recipes I’ve seen. You only need three ingredients! Tried and true, and if you make a lot then you can stock them up in the freezer for later! I recommend making one batch at a time, because one time I tried doubling the recipe, and it was a lot of dough to handle at once.

Ingredients (for the dough):

• 2 cups of tapioca flour (tapioca starch is the same thing I believe)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup water

Directions:

• On low-medium heat, add water and brown sugar in a pot.
• When it starts to thicken or boil, add in a little tapioca flour. Once thick, add in the rest and stir. It’ll look like a lot of flour, but it will eventually incorporate. (You might need more, so have more flour on standby)
• When most are combined, dump the mixture onto a lightly flour dusted surface and knead the dough until all the flour is combined.
• Once the dough is a nice ball, cover it with plastic wrap and start to roll your boba any size you want. Place boba in a bowl or bag with extra flour so they won’t stick to each other.

At this point, you can put them in the freezer. Whether or not you freeze them, follow these steps:

• Carefully drop pearls in a pot of boiling water, and make sure they don’t stick to the bottom. Boil for 15-20 minutes, then simmer for about 15-20 for a perfect chew. Strain boba.
• In a separate pan, on low-medium heat, add ~3/4 cup brown sugar and about a cup of water. Wait for it to boil, then add your strained boba. Or, you can skip the water and toast the brown sugar a bit before you add the boba so you don’t dilute the sugar. [Note: this amount is for if you’re cooking the whole batch of boba. Usually I boil about a fourth or a third of the recipe, so I make relatively the same amount of syrup. Ultimately, it’s up to your discretion.]
• Coat your boba in the brown sugar. Ideally soak in the syrup for longer to let the flavor set in.
• Add desired boba and syrup to your drink, whether it be milk tea or just milk.
• Enjoy!

Hopefully you try this recipe out, and if you do, let me know how your results are!