Taro Coconut Tapioca Pudding

Summer is the best season for taro.  It's a root vegetable native to Southeast Asia.  It is starchy similar to potatoes and yams and is commonly used to make all kinds of Asian desserts, cakes, as well as savory dishes, e.g. curry. Today, I used it to make Taro Coconut Tapioca Pudding specially for a friend who loves this dessert.

Ingredients:
1 small Taro (approx 2 lbs)
8 cups of water
1/4 cups of small Tapioca pearls
2 teaspoon of gelatin powder (optional)
1-1/2 cup of water
1 can of coconut milk (13 oz)

Directions:
1.  Soak the tapioca pearls with 1 cup of water.
2.  Soak gelatin with 1/4 cup water.
3.  Peel taro and cut into small dices.
4.  Add taro into a large pot with 8 cups of water.  Boil on high until soft, approximately 20 minutes.  Then blend it smooth with a hand blender directly in the pot, or blend it in a regular blender / food processor.
5.  Drain the water from the tapioca and add it to the taro soup.  When the tapioca turns transparent, add in sugar.  Stir continuously until sugar is dissolved.
6.  Stir in gelatin into the soup until dissolved, and turn heat off.
7.  Stir in coconut milk.  Serves hot or cold.