Tambo-Tambo: A Favorite from China Town

The dessert I made this week was a tapioca ball dessert, with coconut sauce but, I forgot to take a picture because we were binge-watching the flash, and man was it was very intense! So It didn't cross my mind; my family will confirm I made it because they practically devoured it.

We used, tapioca balls made well known as boba, from boba tea cafes popping up more and more now. We made ours homemade, half vanilla and half pandan*; however, you can find them dried in your nearest traditional Asian store. They are straightforward to make, you put them in boiling water, and when they float to the top, you take them out.

They are made from tapioca flour which is really starchy because it comes from the cassava plant. It's kind of like a very starchy potato in South America. It is also used in Brazilian cheese bread (I will go more in-depth into them in a later blog post).

But for people who are not familiar with Boba, they are subtly sweet and chewy, a great addition to the coconut sauce, which is common in southeast Asia. There is an extremely similar recipe called Tambo-Tambo enjoyed in the Philippines with mango. This dessert was inspired by one we had at a very traditional restaurant in las vegas.

Their china town is amazing! It reminded me of the china town In Chicago. I grew up going there with my family, Aunty, and our Uncle and Aunt. Back then, they lived in the city and very close to China Town. They were artists and very adventurous like us. Our Aunt (Aunty) Would always spoil us. She was our main grandmother figure. One of her favorite food is pecking duck. I especially loved all the different foods and mostly the different candies. We would buy a bunch of unique ones and go try them. We would get the different flavored gums, hello pandas, and many more.

-Hand pulled noodles

*Pandan- A philippine flavoring, often said to taste grassy with a hint of rose, almond, and vanilla. It's a robust flavor, so make sure to use a little. Its not my favorite but my mom loves it.