Brown Sugar Boba (AKA Tapioca Pearls)

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I love boba tea. This is a very common opinion. I cannot afford my addiction to boba tea and do not live close to a shop that has it. This is also a common problem in America. My solution is making my own at home and freezing them for later when I need a treat. 

Brown Sugar Boba:

Ingredients:

Boba:

• 120grams water
• 90grams brown sugar
• 180 grams tapioca starch + some for storage

Syrup:

• 70 grams brown sugar
• 140 grams water

Directions:

1. Making Boba:
1. Place 120g water and 90g dark brown sugar into a pot over medium high heat and bring to a full boil.
2. Once boiling, add a spoonful of the tapioca starch and stir it in quickly. 
3. The moment the mixture begins to thicken, remove from the heat and add the remaining starch. Work quickly as the mixture will become more difficult as time goes on.
4. Mix/knead the starch/syrup mixture into a dough and knead until it is smooth. I find that using a bench scraper helps to work with it while it is still hot.
5. Now that it is smooth, shape it into a log and cut it into 4 pieces.
6. Take 1 of the 4 and cover the remaining 3 with plastic wrap. The dough dries out very quickly and is a nightmare to work with once that happens.
7. Cut the segment you are working with into fourths once more. 
8. Take one section and roll it into a long rope that is about the diameter of a pencil. Boba doubles in size when it is cooked to when looking at your rope think, "would something double this width fit through a boba straw?" 
9. Repeat that with the other segments and line them up side by side (but not touching).
10. Using a knife or bench scraper, cut the ropes into small pieces. 
11. At this point you have the option of leaving your boba square/strangely shaped or rolling each section into a ball by hand. I did that once. Once. It is so much worse than it sounds. Square boba still tastes like boba. I promise. Save yourself.
12. Place the small sections into a bowl with a spoon of tapioca starch. Toss the boba in the starch so they don't stick together.
13. Repeat this with the remaining dough.
14. Now that you have a bowl full of raw boba you can either start cooking it or place it in a plastic bag and freeze for later! 
2. Cooking Boba:
1. Bring a very large pot of water to a rolling boil over medium high heat.
2. With a spoon, stir the water as you pour in the boba. 
3. Continue stirring until all of the balls float to the top then you can stop.
4. Keep the water at a rolling boil and let them cook 15 minutes.
5. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let sit 10 more minutes.
6. Now strain out the boba into a bowl of cold water to separate them from one another or simple strain them and place them directly into the syrup. The cold water step will make them chewier. 
3. Syrup:
1. Place the water and sugar in a sauce pan over medium high heat. 
2. Bring to a boil and add the boba.
3. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture becomes syrupy. A good indicator is lifting the spoon out of the pot and looking at how it drips. Does it just run of the spoon like water or does it flow like syrup? 
4. Once it is syrup, take it off the heat and either let it cool or serve it up! 
4. Spoon the boba and syrup into your cup of choice and top with whatever drink you like!