Taro Balls in Coconut Milk — Who IS Eating This?!!
By Vivian
Why You'll Love It
Family, who understands! That milk taro from southern Fujian that keeps showing up all over my feed — I followed the trend and recreated it, and it's now legendary in this house. One bite: soft, dense, so milky. It's genuinely incredible, good enough to break me down. Simple to make, zero difficulty, and a beginner handles it easily.
Perfect as an afternoon treat or a little dessert after dinner — if you're a taro person, save this and go.
I was genuinely shocked. So, SO, SO good!!
Honestly, if this were sold in a shop, it would be the signature item.
Ingredients
| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
| 1 lb 2 oz (500 g) taro | 1 tbsp (8 g) purple sweet potato powder |
| 2 cups + 3 tbsp (260 g) glutinous rice flour | 2½ tbsp (30 g) sugar |
| 1 cup + 2 tsp (250 ml) milk | tapioca pearls, as needed |
| coconut milk, as needed | condensed milk, to taste (optional) |
Ingredient Notes
- Lipu taro is the starchy, fragrant kind you want.
- Work the flour in while the mash is still warm — cold mash won't come together.
- Use small tapioca pearls; they cook faster and through more easily.
- Use thick coconut milk, not coconut beverage — far more fragrant.
- The purple sweet potato powder is only for color; leave it out if you don't have it.
Instructions
-
1
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the tapioca, and simmer over medium-low for 20 minutes until only a tiny white core remains. Turn off the heat and rest 5 minutes until completely transparent, then rinse under cold water and drain.
Peel and cube the taro and steam it over high heat for 20 minutes. (No purple sweet potato powder? Steam a purple sweet potato along with it — it's mainly for color.)
-
2
Mash the hot taro, add the sugar, purple sweet potato powder, and glutinous rice flour, pour in the milk, add condensed milk if you like, and stir until shaggy.
-
3
Knead by hand into a smooth dough — a splash more milk if dry, more flour if sticky. Divide into small pieces, roll each into a ball, then flatten slightly or shape however you like.
-
4
Bring plenty of water to a boil, add the taro balls, and once they all float they're done. Scoop them into bowls, add the prepared tapioca, pour in coconut milk, stir, and eat.
-
5
If you like more going on, add a spoonful of crushed Oreos, tapioca pearls, or honeyed beans — it takes it up another level. Chilled, it's even more refreshing.
Recipe Notes
Taro Balls in Coconut Milk
taro and glutinous rice flour rolled into chewy balls, served with tapioca pearls and coconut milk. Soft, chewy, and milky — a recreation of the southern Fujian dessert soup that's all over the internet.
Time Needed
Prep Ahead
- Cook the tapioca ahead and rinse it in cooled boiled water, so the pearls stay separate instead of clumping.
- Steam and mash the taro and sweet potato ahead; the rolled balls freeze well and cook straight from frozen.
- 【Yield】1 lb 2 oz (500 g) taro plus 2 cups + 3 tbsp (260 g) glutinous rice flour makes 3–4 bowls.
- 【Key ratios】Taro mash to glutinous rice flour ≈ 2:1, with 1 cup + 2 tsp (250 ml) milk added gradually. Dry means add milk; sticky means add flour.
- 【Heat】Steam the taro over high heat 20 minutes; drop the balls into boiling water and cook 1–2 minutes after they float.
- 【Tapioca】Boil 20 minutes until a tiny white core remains, rest 5 minutes off the heat until fully clear, then rinse in cold water.
- 【Storage & reheating】Dust unbaked balls with flour and freeze 2 weeks; the finished soup keeps 2 days in the fridge.
- 【Common problems】Balls falling apart in the pot means the dough was too dry. Tapioca turning to mush means it went into cold water or wasn't stirred.
Nutrition (per 100 g, estimated)
| Calories | about 129 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | about 2.5 g |
| Fat | about 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | about 23 g |
| of which sugars | about 11 g |
| Fiber | about 1 g |
| Sodium | about 40 mg |
Estimated from the ingredient amounts, not lab tested. One bowl is about 10½ oz (300 g), roughly 387 kcal, calculated at 4 / 9 / 4 kcal per g of protein / fat / carbs.