250gtaro steamed and mashed (~about 1/4 of a large taro root)
85gtapioca starch
3tablespoons(up to 5) water
1tablespoongranulated sugar
Yam Balls
150gyam, steamed and mashed (~about 1 medium-sized yam)
45gtapioca starch
Brown Sugar Syrup
5tablespoonsbrown sugar
4tablespoonswater
Instructions
Yam Balls
Clean and remove the skin of taro root and yams. Cut the root vegetables into large cubes and place inside a steamer basket above a large pot of water. Steam until root vegetables are fork-tender, about 15 minutes.
Once the root vegetables are tender, transfer the taro to one bowl (250g) and the yams (150g) to another bowl. Use a fork and mash the root vegetables. Leaving small chunks is okay, it will give more texture to the balls.
For Taro balls
Add tapioca starch, water, and sugar to the taro paste and mix until fully combined. If you taro dough is too crumbly or dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together.
For yam balls
Add tapioca starch to the yam paste and mix until fully combined. Unlike taro root, yams contains quite a bit of moisture and sweetness, so we can omit adding any water or sugar to the mixture.
Shape the dough into balls, slightly larger than the size of boba pearl (my dad says the size of a Malteser is perfect).
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop the taro and yam balls into the pot. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until the pearls float to the top, about 5 - 7 minutes.
Transfer the cooked balls to a bowl of cold water to prevent it from cooking further.
Remove from cold water and set the balls aside.
Brown Sugar Syrup
In small pot over medium heat, combine brown sugar and water. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until mixture thickens a bit and becomes syrupy. Remove from heat and allow syrup to cool down a bit, about 10 minutes.
To assemble, fill half a cup or small bowl with grass jelly, top with taro balls, yam balls, boba pearls, and any other toppings of choice. Drizzle brown sugar syrup and evaporated milk to taste. Top with a big scoop of ice cream. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
Note you can always scale up or down the recipe to make more or less taro and yam balls. You just want to make sure you keep the ratios of ingredients the same.