Description
Learn how to make popping boba at home using a simple food science technique that involves creating gel spheres with juice and a calcium bath. This recipe uses just four ingredients and yields fun, burst-in-your-mouth juice pearls perfect for drinks and desserts.
Ingredients
Scale
Calcium Solution
- 2 cups water (tap water or distilled if tap water is hard)
- 2 teaspoons powdered calcium lactate
Juice Mix
- Your favorite fruit juice (avoid juices with pH below 3.6)
- 1 gram powdered sodium alginate per 100 ml of juice
Instructions
- Prepare the Calcium Solution: Mix two cups of water with two teaspoons of powdered calcium lactate ensuring it is fully dissolved. Store this calcium lactate solution in a large shallow container in the refrigerator to keep it cool.
- Prepare the Sodium Alginate Juice Mix: Select your preferred fruit juice ensuring it is not too acidic (pH above 3.6). Measure out 1 gram of powdered sodium alginate for every 100 ml of juice. Mix them together thoroughly using a blender or electric mixer for best results; gentle warming can be applied to increase solubility but do not boil.
- Remove Air Bubbles: Refrigerate the sodium alginate juice mixture for a few hours to allow air bubbles introduced during mixing to dissipate. Ensure both sodium alginate solution and calcium lactate solution are cold and clear of bubbles before proceeding.
- Prepare for Droplet Formation: Fill a syringe, squeeze bottle, or use a 1/4 teaspoon (for its rounded shape) with the sodium alginate juice mixture.
- Create the Popping Boba: Carefully release droplets of the juice and sodium alginate mixture into the calcium lactate solution using steady hands, experimenting with distance and angle to form perfect spheres. Avoid cross-contaminating the calcium solution with the juice mixture to prevent premature gelling.
Notes
- Use distilled water if your tap water is very hard to improve gel quality.
- Adjust juice selection based on acidity; juices with pH below 3.6 may not gel well.
- Do not boil the sodium alginate juice mixture as high heat can degrade the alginate.
- Allow solutions to chill completely and remove air bubbles for best popping texture.
- Handle droplet formation gently to create uniform spheres and prevent clumping.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Beverage Garnish
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Universal
Keywords: popping boba, DIY boba, food science, sodium alginate, calcium lactate, juice pearls, beverage topping
