Basic Cooking Method

1. Soak the tapioca pearls overnight in liquid. Use about 1/2 gallon of liquid per 1/2 cup of tapioca. Use water, stock or milk, depending on what you want to use the tapioca for. For instance, if making tapioca pilaf, soak the pearls in a flavorful chicken or vegetable stock; if you're making a creamy sauce, as in an oysters-and-pearls dish, use milk.

2. Drain the tapioca pearls after soaking and rinse them under cool running water. Bring a pot of water or stock to a boil. Use enough liquid to cover the pearls by 2 or 3 inches.

3. Add the tapioca pearls to the boiling water and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The tapioca has reconstituted and thickened enough when dragging a spoon across the surface leaves a trail. The pearls should also have a translucent appearance, except for a small cloudiness in the center, and have an al-dente bite when ready.

4. Drain the tapioca pearls and rinse them under cold water. Transfer the pearls to a food container and cover them with cold water. Set the tapioca aside until ready to use.

5. Drain the tapioca pearls when you're ready to add them to a dish. If you want to add the pearls to a sauce or soup, add them in the last 30 minutes of cooking. If you want to use the pearls in a pilaf, saute aromatics, such as onions, peppers and garlic, in butter or oil. Add the pearls to the aromatics and cook until heated through, then finish with fresh herbs. You can also eat the pearls as is by heating them through in a saucepan along with milk, cream or simple syrup and seasoning to taste.

Tapioca Pudding

1. Soak the pearls overnight in water or milk, or for about 12 hours. Use about 1/2 gallon of liquid per 1/2 cup of tapioca. Drain the tapioca pearls and set them aside.

2. Pour 1 quart of dairy in a heavy-bottomed saucepan for every 1/2 cup of pearls. You can use milk or milk and cream, depending on the consistency you want.

3. Add a secondary flavoring ingredient, such as vanilla bean, lemon zest, or freshly grated nutmeg, to taste to the dairy and stir.

4. Add sugar to taste to the dairy and stir it in; to keep the pudding white, use white granulated sugar. Add a pinch of salt and pour in the soaked tapioca pearls.

5. Cook the tapioca pearls over medium-low heat until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. The tapioca has reconstituted and thickened enough when dragging a spoon across the surface leaves a trail.

6. Beat egg yolks and sugar together in a mixing bowl until they turn pale yellow and reach the "ribbon stage" when the tapioca finishes cooking. The ribbon stage of mixing is confirmed when you lift a spoon from the yolks and sugar and it falls back into the bowl in a ribbon pattern. Use 1 tablespoon of sugar per egg yolk.

7. Add 1 cup of hot tapioca to the egg yolks a teaspoonful at a time, whisking it in thoroughly each time. Adding hot tapioca a little at a time to the yolks before adding the yolks to the tapioca prevents the eggs from curdling. Slowly add the egg-and-tapioca mixture to the pot of tapioca, stirring constantly.

8. Cook the tapioca pudding about 10 to 15 minutes or until thickened, whisking constantly. Scrape the tapioca into a storage container or bowl and let it reach room temperature. Chill the tapioca pudding in the refrigerator 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Boba Tea

1. Make a basic simple syrup by cooking equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Make 4 times as much simple syrup as uncooked tapioca pearls by volume.

2. Brew a cup of bagged tea. You can use any tea for boba tea; use 2 teabags per cup of water for strong boba.

3. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil on the stove and add the tapioca. Use about 2 cups of water for every 1/4 cup of black tapioca pearls.

4. Stir the tapioca pearls, using a spoon, until they float. Lower the heat to medium and cook the tapioca pearls for 15 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and cover it. Steep the tapioca pearls for 15 minutes.

5. Drain the water from the tapioca and place it in a storage container. Pour simple syrup over the tapioca pearls until covered and let them reach room temperature. Chill the tea and the tapioca pearls in the refrigerator until cold.

6. Pour the tea and a few ice cubes in a cocktail shaker when you're ready to serve. Add milk or fruit juice to the tea, if desired. Shake the ice and tea until well combined and pour into a glass.

7. Add the tapioca pearls to the glass and sweeten to taste with the simple syrup.