Working on a tapioca menu? Well there’s more that you can do with this root other than use it as a thickening agent. You can create wonderful soups, puddings, gravies and several other dishes with tapioca. Read below to see the wonderful things you can cook up for a truly exceptional tapioca menu.

Chocolate Tapioca Pudding

Made from cassava root, tapioca comes in two chief varieties: flakes and pearls. While the flakes make great thickening agents, the pearls work nicely in puddings. Tapioca pudding can be take a while to prepare due to hours of soaking. Decrease this time by using quick-cooking tapioca. When planning your meal, be sure to allow enough time for the pudding to cool. Tapioca pudding tastes best when served cold.

Gumbo

Tapioca starch is one of a family of starch thickeners that can give puddings, sauces, pie fillings and gravies some added heft. Because they don't change the flavor or add empty fat, thickeners such as tapioca, as well as arrowroot and corn starch, are popularly used in a variety of recipes. While roux is a more popular thickener for gumbo, tapioca works just as well.

Tapioca Balls

Tapioca is derived from the roots of the cassava plant that grows in tropical regions of the world. After being ground into a fine pulp all the liquid is drained and is dried further before being ground into tapioca flour. Mixing this dried flour with water and slowly cooking it results in the tapioca turning into dried balls, similar in size. Commonly made into a pudding, adding tapioca to "bubble" tea drinks for texture has become trendy, as well.

Tapioca Fish Curry

Tapioca Fish curry is a wonderful combination of Kerala (South Indian) cuisine. Locally it is called as Kappa and Meen. This dish goes supremely well with basmati rice or even rotis. You might need to warn the eaters about the spice level of this dish as it can get quite hot. You could serve some plain yogurt as an accompaniment so help neturalize the spice.

Spicy Tapioca

This dish is supremely easy, you wont need very many ingredients as well and will be in and out of the kitchen in no time. All you need is some red chilies, peanuts, cumin and mustard seeds. It makes a great snack for in between meals or even as a breakfast food. If you’re ever bored of eating the same old thing, try spicy tapioca, it’s really delicious.

These tapioca menu ideas are fun to work with in the kitchen and equally delicious to munch on. Enjoy the variety and tastes of these dishes, bon appétit.

Image credits - onefilipinodish.com; ifood.tv