Iced Vietnamese Coffee with Tapioca Pearls

Recipe: Iced Vietnamese Coffee with Tapioca Pearls

I love traditional iced Vietnamese coffee and the addition of the tapioca peals makes this an extra special treat much like Boba tea, but with the distinctive taste of Vietnam’s cafe sua da. The use of instant coffee produces a less robust cafe sua da, however, it is certainly quick and easy; at least once the boba have been prepared.

Ingredients

1/2 c White Boba or Large Tapioca Pearls
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 tsp instant coffee granules
2 T sweetened condensed milk

Directions

To Cook the Boba:
Bring 5 c. water to a boil. Slowly stir in tapioca pearls and bring back up to the boil; be sure to stir gently to keep tapioca from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue boiling for 15 minuters. Stir in brown sugar and boil for an additional 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Once the water has reduced and you are left with the boba in a thick syrup, remove pan from heat; cover and let sit for 25 minutes. Leftover Boba can be kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator for several days, be sure to store with its syrup to keep it from drying out.

To make iced Vietnamese coffee with Boba:
Add 2 tsp instant coffee granules to a cup and pour in 1/2 c. boiling water; stir to dissolve. Gently stir in 2 T sweetened condensed milk until well combined. Pour coffee over a full glass of ice. The hot coffee will begin to melt the ice, so add more if needed to fill the glass. Add about 1/4 c. of the cooked tapioca pearls and gently stir to allow the tapioca to sink to the bottom of the glass. Serve with a large straw.

Variations

Making Vietnamese cafe sua da or iced coffee can be done without the use of instant coffee granules. Simply make cafe sua da the traditional way and add the tapioca pearls.

Cooking time (duration): 70 minutes (10 minutes if Boba is already prepared)

Culinary tradition: Vietnamese

My rating: 4 Stars:  ★★★★☆ 1 review(s)

This is a quick and easy way to make iced Vietnamese coffee, but I certainly prefer brewing the coffee the traditional way. Try it both ways and see which you prefer.