Directions

1. 1

   Pour 3 cups of water into a medium pot and bring to a rolling boil. Add the sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Reduce heat to low and gently pour in the whole milk, stirring continuously. Allow the mixture to return to a simmer. Turn off the heat and slowly stir in the full fat coconut milk until fully incorporated, being careful not to bring the mixture back to a boil as this can cause the coconut milk to separate and become oily.

2. 2

   Remove the pot from heat and let the sweet coconut-milk mixture cool to room temperature, about 30-40 minutes. Once cooled, transfer to a bowl or container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. While the mixture chills, place the dried tapioca pearls in a separate bowl and cover with cold water. Let them soak for 20 minutes—they will absorb water, expand, and turn bright white.

3. 3

   Drain the soaked tapioca pearls in a fine mesh sieve, discarding the soaking water. Bring about 1 quart (4 cups) of fresh water to a boil in another medium pot. Turn off the heat, add the drained tapioca pearls to the hot water, and stir constantly for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Immediately pour the pearls and water through a fine mesh sieve and rinse under cold running water, stirring gently to stop the cooking process and prevent the pearls from sticking together.

4. 4

   Add the cooked and cooled tapioca pearls to the chilled coconut-milk mixture and stir gently to combine. Return to the refrigerator and continue chilling. The dessert may be prepared up to 3 days in advance. To serve, ladle the tapioca and sweet coconut mixture into individual bowls and top each portion with a generous spoonful of fresh diced melon.