Mumbai food: Why not try a risotto or cup of tea laced with tapioca pearls?

Its easy to confuse sago with tapioca Both are typically round small dry and opaque When soaked and cooked both become larger translucent soft and spongy The only difference however is that while sago is made from palm tree starch tapioca pearls are extracted from the starch of a plant named cassava While the sago or sabudana continues to make it to our plates as delish khichdi and sinfully deep fried vadas its the counterpart that seems to have taken the fancy of city chefsTapioca is the new superroot It contains vitamin Bcomplex including pantothenic acid folate and B6 as well as iron manganese calcium copper and selenium says chef Prasad Parab of BKC restopub Dishkiyaaon And because its bland it can take on any flavour Moreover its healthy and cheap which makes it accessible to the common man says chef Jerson Fernandes of Juhus JeonTo dig deeper we pan out to city restaurants to discover innovative dishes where tapioca is the biggest drawRs 450 PicBipin KokateChef Husna Jumani who has curated the dessert menu at Ballard Estates The Clearing House was inspired by the mango sticky rice and wanted to create something on similar lines But I knew guests would not appreciate rice in their dessert having had a full meal So I chose to opt for tapioca says the 23yearold For the dish the tapioca globules are soaked overnight and then cooked with butter and coconut milk Overcooked tapioca can be quite unpleasant Its best to soak and keep and use as and when required Even before serving we add the coconut milk and condensed milk so that the flavours seep through The dish is served with fresh mango black sesame shortbread and lemon yoghurt sorbet It has varied textures the chewiness from the tapioca the creaminess of the custard the crunch of the shortbread and the bitterness from black sesame all of it balanced by the sweetness of the mango She says The base is the tapioca pudding the rest are just toppings It makes for a refreshing summer dessert completely glutenfree Since mangoes are seasonal well serve it only till the end of this monthRs 295 PicPradeep DhivarTapioca Beetroot Risotto at HitchkiAt Hitchki its the norm to give traditional Indian dishes a quirky makeover When chef Ajay Thukar was crafting the Kala Ghoda restaurant menu he felt it was time to look beyond sabudana wada and khichdi and present tapioca in a novel way The result was a bloody red dish called tapioca beetroot risotto Tapioca is a popular fasting item Not many Indians are familiar with its versatility he says In the dish the beetroot is marinated with whole ground spices and roasted in a tandoor to lend it a smokey flavour We then puree the beetroot and use it as a base sauce to the tapioca After adding ginger and garlic we garnish it with peanut powder it complements tapioca best He however admits that the idea was not to create a healthy dish but something unusual Its not the most popular dish but its got a loyal followingRs 499Tapioca chaat at JeonMumbai rains might be synonymous with hot pakodas but at Juhus Jeon they have been replaced by an edgier option the tapioca chaat served with tapioca chips Since it is tapioca season we thought of having a whole festival around it says chef Jerson Fernandes While the menu offers tapioca khatiya khadi an assortment of tapioca canapes and tapioca mango mousse we were piqued by the tapioca bhel served in a paani puri with kokum shots The tapioca is tossed with onions tomatoes and coriander What sets it apart is the special masala we prepare using roasted cumin powder chaat masala inhouse turmeric fennel powder dry ginger and mango powder he says While the taste is chatpata it tilts towards the spicier sideRs 350Kerala Tapioca Masala at DishkiyaaonTaking off from the Kerala delicacy by the same name the Kappa Biryani however is not a biryani as it doesnt contain rice The rice has been replaced by tapioca globules The dish originally meant to be served with beef is now served with mutton The tapioca is boiled and tossed with the masalas along with the precooked mutton We also use grated coconut Theres a strong kick of garlic and ginger too It is made on the messier side using the elements of a biryani and turning the concept on its head says Khar restaurant and bar SamBar owner Pragnesh Rai adding that it is a bestsellerInterestingly the team has come up with a sneaky solution for tapioca that might get overcooked That happens sometimes when we overshoot the temperature or duration In that case we add them to the masala kappa another tapioca based dish It works beautifully because in that dish the tapioca is mashed put together in patties and fried Rai saysRs 350Kappa Biryani at SamBarTaking off from the Kerala delicacy by the same name the Kappa Biryani however is not a biryani as it doesnt contain rice The rice has been replaced by tapioca globules The dish originally meant to be served with beef is now served with mutton The tapioca is boiled and tossed with the masalas along with the precooked mutton We also use grated coconut Theres a strong kick of garlic and ginger too It is made on the messier side using the elements of a biryani and turning the concept on its head says Khar restaurant and bar SamBar owner Pragnesh Rai adding that it is a bestsellerInterestingly the team has come up with a sneaky solution for tapioca that might get overcooked That happens sometimes when we overshoot the temperature or duration In that case we add them to the masala kappa another tapioca based dish It works beautifully because in that dish the tapioca is mashed put together in patties and fried Rai saysRs 260Tagu Pyian at Burma BurmaTagu Pyian is a Burmese festive dish prepared during Maha Thingyan or water festival that marks their New Year However at Burma Burma in Fort its been a permanent fixture on the menu since its inception three years ago We have remained true to the traditional method of preparing the dessert chef Ansab Khan tells us Tagu Pyian is coconut pannacota served with tapioca cooked in palm jaggery While the pannacota is prepared using coconut milk the sago is cooked in palm jaggery imported from Burma he says adding that one can also use ing local palm jaggery The dish is for those who dont like their desserts too sweetRs 150Taro Bubble Tea with Tapioca BubblesEven as the bubble tea continues to be a mainstay at Dr Bubbles the tapioca bubbles tea is a different ballgame altogether And that is because of tapioca globules as chef Adnan Sarkar explains They have a chewy texture and therefore need to be treated with care This drink was an experiment to begin with The tapioca balls are boiled for 20 minutes to make them soft but not too soft because they are put in a drink The tea is served cold Since the globules are boiled and then put in iced tea they harden up quickly So the drink needs to be consumed in 10 minutes Sarkar saysWhile it may not be the most popular drink they serve it certainly enjoys a loyal set of patrons These are people who specially call to ask if it is available Its an acquired taste you warm up to it only having outgrown the predictable sweet stuff Its a heavyset drink its taste and texture is far from what you associate with tea thanks to the tapioca globules