[Healthy Food for the Geeky Soul] Panda Tapioca Milk Tea with Panda Boba

JAPAN
Feb. 07, 2016 18:36 PST

I wanted to make my own unforgettable boba, or tapioca pearls. The boba we know is a black tapioca ball. But what if I can make it look like a certain shape? What would I do if I were to own a boba shop or something…?

I thought about it for a second, and came up with this idea: “I would want my boba to look like a panda”. And that’s how this recipe today was created =P

Panda Tapioca Milk Tea with Panda Boba Summary:

Milk Tea has never look this cute! Panda boba is super chewy and delicious! 100% all natural food :)

INGREDIENTS
For Boba (Tapioca pearls)
50g Tapioca flour
50g Silken Tofu
2 tbsp Cocoa powder

For milk tea
Your favorite black tea
Milk (I used my Almond Milk" ) to taste

I don’t know why we get so attached to the idea of pandas, but I’m crazy about them. If you are like me who loves anything that has panda face on it, why don’t you try this recipe with me this week? It looks complicated but it’s not so hard to make.

INSTRUCTIONS

1: Mix the boba ingredients. Knead with your hand until the dough becomes smooth. If the mixture is too dry, add a little tofu till the dough is just right. (When it’s too dry, it’s difficult to stick ears to the panda face, and we don’t want that!)

2: Separate the dough into 2 colors. Take 1/4 of the dough and knead again with cocoa powder. The color of brown turns darker after boiling, so no need to put too much cocoa powder this time.

3: Make panda shapes! Make sure your pandas are as small as tapioca pearls so you can still suck it from a boba straw. When attaching ears to the face, make sure the dough is sticky enough to stick together, otherwise they might fall apart when boiling. No one likes earless pandas!

4: Finish the panda facial parts. This is my panda boba looks like. Each panda looks slightly different than others, and that is the wonderful thing about home made cooking! This is the most fun part of making your own panda boba =)

Panda madness!

5: Boil the pandas! Toss the pandas gently in a boiling water with a low heat, and cook them till they float. It should take around 5 minutes.When pandas start to float, that means they are ready to be picked up!

6: Drain the pandas and almost done! Chewy delicious panda is finally looking like boba!

7: Serve it with your favorite tea. Your special Tapioca Milk tea with Panda boba is now ready to be served!

They look so cute, but this picture reminded me of Japanese trains in Tokyo during their epic rush-hour time. Too many pandas!

Sucking the pandas from a boba straw might have made me a little bit moody… It’s always sad to see my food art leaving me in my tummy… I wonder if this is something all food artists have to deal with?

I recommend eating the panda boba on the same day you cooked, but it can be stored in the fridge for 2~3 days. Put the boba in a container with a little bit of water, and it should be fine.

Boba brings me back to the memories of UCSD days… I loved the time I spent there and I really miss saying this common phrase I used to say all the time with my friends: “Do you wanna go get boba?” =)
Now that I’m in Asia, I never use the word “boba” anymore. I can’t wait to go back to the states and maybe Tapioca Express want to collaborate with me or something =P (That would be so awesome!)

Happy cooking, everyone!
xx
-Yuki

This recipe was adapted with permission from Yukitchen.com
You can learn more about Yuki and her awesome creations at her website, or follow her on Instagram and Facebook!