When it comes to Chinese New Year, there’s so much devotion to dinner, that it’s pretty common to just lose steam by the time you get to the question of dessert. We know this is true for our family. We usually end up eating fruit or skipping dessert altogether. This year, in the name of lunar new year resolutions, we’re making amends for the past. If you also find yourself looking for a dessert to serve for your Chinese New Year party, look no further than this Coconut Tapioca Dessert with Sweet Rice Balls.
Sweet Rice Balls for Chinese New Year
Tang Yuan (汤圆) and Sweet Nian Gao are traditional Chinese New Year desserts. The common thread between a lot of these confections is the use of sweet rice (aka sticky rice) and/or sweet rice flour (aka sticky rice flour).
Even though this dessert includes Tang Yuan, it’s not quite a traditional new year’s dessert. This is my spin on many of the popular Asian desserts that use cold milk, fruit, and other toppings.
Asian Dessert Inspiration
Specifically, my inspiration comes from Honeymoon Dessert (满记甜品), a very popular chain in Asia. They have hundreds of stores across China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore. Their menu offers traditional desserts like Black Sesame Soup, but I enjoy their more popular desserts, like the black sweet rice with fresh blueberries (we posted a black sticky rice dessert recipe for this a while back!).
The combination of traditional Chinese dessert elements like tapioca and sweet rice with fresh elements like seasonal fruit, coconut milk or ice cream is an immensely satisfying harmony of textures and tastes—bonus, they’re never too sweet, which is perfect for the average Asian palate!
When we lived in Beijing, Bill and I sometimes took the 25-minute walk to the nearest shopping mall after dinner, just to have these kinds of desserts.
Serve At Room Temperature with Fresh Fruit
This Coconut Tapioca Dessert with Sweet Rice Balls is best served cold or at room temperature. As for the fresh fruit, besides blueberries and strawberries, feel free to substitute raspberries, blackberries or mango, or a mixture!
This coconut tapioca dessert is not hard to put together, but it does require you to wash a pot a couple of times. I’ve tried to simplify the steps to avoid hassle, and I think you’ll find that while the result may not be strictly traditional, it’s a light and refreshing dessert to round out the Chinese New Year feast.
Coconut Tapioca Dessert: Recipe Instructions
Add the coconut milk, milk, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract to a small pot. Stir and bring to a boil—watch it closely so the liquid doesn’t boil over.
Once it boils, immediately take it off the heat. Let the mixture cool slightly, and put it in the refrigerator to chill. This step can be done ahead of time!
Time to make the mini sticky rice balls. Mix the sweet rice flour with ¼ cup of water in a bowl using your hands. Then add ½ teaspoon water at a time until the dough turns into a play-doh-like consistency—not too wet but pliable.
If the dough falls apart as you roll it in between your palms, it’s too dry, but if the dough gets wetter as you roll it in between your palms, it’s too wet.
Next, take a small piece—about 3 grams if you have a kitchen scale—and roll it into a small ball. Place it on a piece of parchment or clear plastic wrap. Repeat until you’ve used all the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and put the sweet rice balls in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the dessert.
In a pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the mini pearl tapioca (don’t add it before the water is at a full boil!). Stir and bring it to boil again.
Turn off the heat, cover it with a lid, and set your timer for 18 minutes. After 18 minutes have elapsed, the pearl tapioca should turn completely transparent, which means they’re fully cooked. Strain the pearls, rinse them with cold water to prevent them from sticking, and set aside.
In the same pot, bring another 4 cups of water to a boil, and add the sweet rice balls. Stir and let them cook for a few minutes over high heat. When they float to the top, they’re done. Strain and rinse them with cold water to prevent sticking.
Divide the prepared coconut milk soup into 4 bowls, then divide and add in the cooked sweet rice balls and pearl tapioca. Top with your fresh fruit of choice and serve this delicious coconut tapioca dessert!
Coconut Tapioca Dessert with Sweet Rice Balls
Ingredients
- 13.5 ounces coconut milk (380g)
- 1½ cups milk
- ¼ cup condensed milk (or up to 1/2 cup, depending on the level of sweetness you like; 60-120 ml)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sweet rice flour (140 grams)
- water
- ½ cup mini pearl tapioca (90 grams)
- ½ cup fresh strawberries (sliced, or fresh fruit of your choice)
- ½ cup fresh blueberries (or fresh fruit of your choice)
Instructions
- Add the coconut milk, milk, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract to a small pot. Stir and bring to a boil—watch it closely so the liquid doesn’t boil over. Once it boils, immediately take it off the heat. Let the mixture cool slightly, and put it in the refrigerator to chill. This step can be done ahead of time!
- Time to make the mini sticky rice balls. Mix the sweet rice flour with ¼ cup of water in a bowl using your hands. Then add ½ teaspoon water at a time until the dough turns into a play-doh-like consistency—not too wet but pliable. If the dough falls apart as you roll it in between your palms, it’s too dry, but if the dough gets wetter as you roll it in between your palms, it’s too wet. Next, take a small piece—about 3 grams if you have a scale—and roll it into a small ball. Place it on a piece of parchment or clear plastic wrap. Repeat until you’ve used all the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and put the sweet rice balls in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the dessert.
- In a pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the mini pearl tapioca (don’t add it before the water is at a full boil!). Stir and bring it to boil again. Turn off the heat, cover it with a lid, and set your timer for 18 minutes. After 18 minutes have elapsed, the pearl tapioca should turn completely transparent, which means they’re fully cooked. Strain the pearls, rinse them with cold water to prevent them from sticking, and set aside.
- In the same pot, bring another 4 cups of water to a boil, and add the sweet rice balls. Stir and let them cook for a few minutes over high heat. When they float to the top, they’re done. Strain and rinse them with cold water to prevent sticking.
- Divide the prepared coconut milk soup into 4 bowls, then divide and add in the cooked sweet rice balls and pearl tapioca. Top with your fresh fruit of choice and serve!
nutrition facts
I’d like to serve this dessert in two days. How far in advance can I make it and should I keep the cooked ingredients (tapioca pearls, mochi) separate until the day I plan to serve this dessert? Please let me know of any adjustments I need to make. Thanks!
Hi Maria, you can pre-make the sticky rice balls in advance, and then freeze them (individually spaced) uncooked. Everything else you should make the same day. Please note the tapioca expands once cooked and the texture changes, so you can’t pre-cook it and leave it for too long before serving.
please give us a recipe to make kimchi from celery cabbage
Will try!
Looks yummylicious..
:-) :-) :-)
I cannot begin to tell you how much I love this dessert. I have often put the idea of working out how to make this in the “too hard basket”, but reading through your steps, I think even someone as lazy as I am can make this happen!
We have been asked to bring a dessert to a function on Saturday. Do you think I can make everything the night before and “suspend” the pearls and the sweet rice balls in water in containers overnight? The dessert will be served after lunch.
Love your site, BTW. It’s one of my regular favourites to visit for food ideas and inspiration!
Hi Gloria, I’m hesitant to give you the green light on your suggestion. Both the sweet rice balls and the cooked tapioca pearls will expand and lose their chewy texture if they are soaked in water for too long. I just found this on the net: “After cooking the tapioca pearls, put them in a container and coat with sugar or sugar syrup. This should be kept at room temperature or a bit warmer, but do not put in the refrigerator or freezer. The cooked tapioca pearls should be consumed within 8-10 hours.” I think you can try this method for both the sweet rice balls and the tapioca pearls. Just remember to adjust the sugar quantity accordingly.
This sounds so good. I’ve got a friend who is lactose intolerant coming for CNY dinner. Do you think I can substitute sugar for the condensed milk? And how much would you advise?
Sorry, just noticed you already answered the same question below. For some reason my browser didn’t load the replies…
Hi Maggie, you can definitely use sugar instead of sweetened condensed milk. But the soup base has milk in it as well. You might want to replace the milk in the soup base with almond milk or soy milk.
This sounds lovely. I’ve had something like this for 20 years in a local Chinese restaurant. It was coconut milk, soften sweetened adzuki beans and the mini rice balls.
We make the mini rice balls for desserts here in Japan, too. We boil up some adzuki beans with sugar and water. They are served together.
To make the mini rice balls, some people use a bit Tofu instead of water. It does not change the taste but they stay nice and soft. I like to do that. You can use half Tofu and half water if you like. You have to be careful with the amount of water and Tofu. Adding less to start with is a good idea.
Wow, Pamela, you have taught me something new today! Using tofu instead of water to make sweet rice balls? I need to give it a try.
I’ve never seen a dessert like this when I lived in China, about 1 years ago. I don’t remember coconut being used at all by the locals (Heilongjiang and Henan provinces). I wold love to give this a try!
Sorry, 10 years ago, not 1.
Hi Mila, Honeymoon Dessert is fairly new, but it has become popular very fast and I can definitely see why. Hope you will give it a try!
This recipe arrives on time for CNY. I like the take on. Will pin it for later as I have just got back my kitchen.
Wishing you and your family a prosperous Year of the Fire Rooster.
Thank you so much, CK! Happy New Year to you and yours!
Is the sweetened condensed milk necessary or can I substitute it with sugar? I love this kind of dessert!
Yes, you can use sugar instead of sweetened condensed milk. I choose sweetened condensed milk because it adds milky flavor and creamy texture to the soup base.
Dear Cast and Crew of Woks.
I cannot begin to tell you how much I love this site. I have made so many recipes and all of them work. Thank you thank you thank you.
Thank you so much, Angela, for your generous words!