You can find tapioca starch near cornstarch and flour in your grocery store’s baking aisle or at local Asian markets.
If the dough is too sticky to handle, sprinkle a little more tapioca starch over and work it into the dough. Keep in mind that if you dyed the dough, it may stain your fingers or work surface. Consider putting the dough on a plastic mat or piece of parchment paper to prevent staining.
Use a rimmed baking sheet so the pearls don’t roll off if you need to move the sheet.
Repeat this with the rest of the dough, so you have 2 long strips of dough ready to cut.
Most standard tapioca pearls are about 0. 4 to 0. 8 in (1. 0 to 2. 0 cm) in diameter before they’re cooked.
If you’d like to store the tapioca pearls for later, freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months. To make the pearls, boil them without thawing them, but add about 3 to 5 minutes to the cooking time.
If you’d like to cook only a handful of tapioca pearls, you can use a small pot. To make a single bubble tea drink, you’ll need 1/4 cup (80 g) of cooked tapioca pearls.
The pearls will float to the top of the pot once they’re half-cooked. You may need to adjust the heat if it looks like the pot may boil over after you add the pearls.
Use the pearls the same day you boil them, since they’ll begin to stick together and become tough.
Serve the bubble tea with a wide straw and enjoy it before the ice begins to melt.
