Bo Bo Cha Cha Recipe

As a wee young lad, I remembered getting very excited when I heard that there was going to be bo bo cha cha at the end of a meal. Until someone sat me down and informed me that no, it wasn't a dance. 

Bo Bo Cha Cha is a coconut milk-based dessert and contains sweet potatoes and taro. The dessert isn't the most picturesque, but it tastes better than it looks. It can also be served either warm or chilled. 

My favourite part is the clear, chewy tapioca pearls (recipe below!) which makes it a delight to bite down on. Don't let the ingredients scare you away, it's an easy recipe to do, and the recipe is plenty forgiving. Feel free to adapt the recipe below to adapt to whatever quantity of taro/sweet potatoes that your pantry has.  

Tapioca Pearls Recipe

Ingredients
100g (about 12 teaspoons) tapioca starch, unsifted
35ml boiling water (no cheating!)

Steps
1) In a medium sized bowl containing tapioca starch, pour 35ml of boiling water. (Yes, it has to be boiling). Stir well until combined and a dough forms.  

2) Divide dough into 4 and roll them into logs, about 1cm in diameter each. If the dough is too dry to work with, add a few drops of room temperature water as required. Cut the logs into individual 1cm long pieces. 

3) Put the pieces of dough into a pot of boiling water, stirring at the start to prevent the tapioca pearls from clumping together. Boil on medium heat for 15-25 minutes, until they turn translucent. 

4) Drain the hot water, and keep the tapioca pearls in a large bowl of cold water to stop them from sticking together. 

Bo Bo Cha Cha 

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients
250g taro, peeled and diced into 1-inch chunks
250g (about one) Sweet Potato, peeled and diced into 1-inch chunks
250g sugar
3-4 pandan leaves, washed (optional)
100-200ml coconut milk (to taste)
Tapioca Pearls (as above, optional)


Steps
1) In a pot set over medium heat with water, sugar and pandan leaves (if using), boil the taro first for 5 minutes before adding the sweet potatoes in for another 10-20 minutes. During the process, add sufficient water just so the water level is just above the taros/sweet potatoes. The dessert is done when the taro and sweet potato becomes soft and a fork goes through easily. 

2) Stir in the coconut milk, and add the tapioca pearls (if using). Serve warm or chilled.