Homemade Bubble Tea Balls

Ingredients:

• 2 cups tapioca starch + about 3/4 cup for sprinkling (see Note)
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• Special equipment: 1 large bubble tea straw, approximately 1cm in diameter.

Preparation:

1. In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup water with 1 cup tapioca starch. The mixture may look separable, but it will become smooth in the next step.
2. Combine brown sugar and 2/3 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the tapioca slurry until the mixture begins to thicken, about 30 seconds.
3. Remove from heat and add the remaining 1 cup tapioca starch, stirring with a spatula until a rough ball of dough forms, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Sprinkle a work surface with tapioca starch. Turn the dough out onto the work surface and let it cool for 3-4 minutes. Knead the dough until it's smooth, elastic to the touch, and no longer sticky, adding more starch as needed, about 7 minutes. If the dough seems too dry, wet your hands and knead with damp hands.
5. Divide the dough into 6 pieces and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Roll out 1 piece of dough with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 0.5 cm. Sprinkle the tip of a wide, 1 cm diameter tube with tapioca starch and use it to cut out pieces of dough, wiping the tube occasionally to prevent sticking. Gather the scraps of dough into a ball and repeat the process. Discard any scraps of dough after this step, as they will be too dry to reuse. Repeat with the remaining 5 pieces of dough.
6. Lightly dust a baking sheet with tapioca starch. Form the cut pieces into pea-sized balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. If the dough seems too dry or cracks, moisten your fingers with a little water and knead it. Use the balls immediately or freeze them in a single layer for about 2 hours. Transfer to a freezer bag and store in the freezer until ready to use.
   
   
   Note
   
   Tapioca starch is sometimes referred to as tapioca flour.