October 25, 2006

Sago pudding

Wobbly, translucent and delightful jello-like mounds of sticky sago droplets...It's never complete without dark and luxurious syrup made from authentic rich dark golden palm sugar
...drizzle on light sprinkles of coconut cream and you're in for mouthfuls of pure and delicate indulgence.

*sigh* I just wish good palm sugar(gula melaka) wasn't so difficult to find. We often find 2 different variations of palm sugar here in Sydney. The light brown(almost beige) round hard oval chunks imported from Indonesia and the really dark, rich and crumbly "gula melaka" which is commonly wrapped in paper rolls. I love the second type with sago pudding and other Malaysian desserts, but unfortunately its almost impossible to hunt down at Asian stores close by.I had a post to commemorate "Hari Raya Puasa" and its food a couple days ago. Sago pudding was on my list and I've been receiving emails with requests for the recipe. The photo was shot with my camera but the pudding was made by Ling. I looked her up on msn the other night with the intention of obtaining her delicious pudding secrets. I was disappointed...there was no secret....*laughs*...sigh; I love ling...and her strong "put-on" Malaysian accent. It's so strange but it's a refreshing change. She's a very dear friend who never fails to put a smile on my face when we meet up. Our entire household loves her!
Me: Wei....i need your sago pudding recipe; can ar?
Ling: huh?....no recipe one lahhh. hahaha
Ling: Just boil sago with water....pour into mold, cool and put in the fridge~
Ling: eat with syrup and santan
Me: Oh~ Haha...okie, thanks ler~
I couldn't possibly assume everyone understood those lines being spoken between us 2 very Malaysian girls, so here's the recipe for everyone else to try at home.
1 cup small sago pearls (tapioca)
5 cups boiling water
2 screwpine(pandan) leaves tied-up *optional*
1 block good quality gula melaka + 3 tbsps water (heated in the microwave for 40 seconds till dissolved and smooth)
1 cup coconut cream

Boil water and screwpine bundle in a large pot and pour in sago pearls when water is bubbling profusely. Stir on medium heat till sago pearls are transparent. This should take 15-20 minutes. Scoop out into jelly molds/pudding ramekins and leave to cool for 30 minutes. Allow to set in the fridge for at least 2 hours before turning out to serve. Drizzle with syrup and coconut cream to serve! This recipe makes 4 large yummy puddings

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

I always love your blog and especially this sago pudding.This one is a definitely "must try"recipe.

Lex said...

Hey thanks for the recipe :D

Anonymous said...

Yum!!!

Lex said...

just a question.. do I need to drain the water after the sago is boiled? or do I just scoop it out with the water as well?

Amrita said...

Your sago pudding looks really good!.......I've just added ur link to my blog .....^_^ hope u check out mine 2

Anonymous said...

whoa didnt know its dis easy!!! Now i wont order it again! I love sago pudding! Its such a good peranakan dessert! I dont have to drain off da wayer right babe?

Su-Yin -Décorateur said...

Thanks eveyrone! *hugs hugs and hugs* LOL..this will be just b a quick round up;
I've altered the recipe to make the water proportions accurate enough to not require any draining of water...but if you want to be safe and have a little more, use more water and drain the excess off later :)
amrita: I'll pop by when I have my hands free; thanks for the link, I feel honoured to be featured on yours :)

thanh7580 said...

Just an observation, why do people of the same race put on an accent when they talk to each other.

My Indian friend who speaks perfect English puts on this Indian accent when she speaks to other Indian friends.

From your writing Su-Yin, it sounds like your English is very good, but your MSN conversation "Wei....i need your sago pudding recipe; can ar?" you started changing your grammar and adding all the typical Malaysian sounds such as lah and ar. Hahaha, it must be a comfort thing I guess.

ekarch said...

Hi Su Yin,
I spent 2 years studying at St Xaviers in Penang and came to love Otak-Otak and Singapore Fried Noodles. If u don't have the recipes would u like me to email them to you?
Cheers,
EK

Anonymous said...

Hello,
Thank you for your delightful recipes and coments.
I notice you use sago & tapioca interchangably however they are quite different ingredients.

When I tried cooking sago seeds in water, they totally disintegrated and there were no pearls. Can you please tell me why?
Jeff

Su-Yin -Décorateur said...

oh...i've must have made a mixtake somewhere. Sago and tapioca are certainly very different. Wouldnt dream of making tapioca puddings this way! *laughs*.
There are many sizes of sago pearls...and I'm guessing you've used smaller pearls and cooked them for longer than you should have. They should be translucent but still in tiny droplet forms. When left on the stove with too much water for too long, the mixture turns into a mush. Try using larger sized sago pearls; they're easier to cook.

Anonymous said...

Hi Su-Yin,
Yes they were small sago seeds but were only cooking for a short time but I had been soaking them.

Can you please let me know if you soak them first and if so, how long? Also please let me know approx how long you cook them?

Su-Yin -Décorateur said...

I don't soak them...you dont need to with this recipe.
Just rinse and wash them and use them straight. Follow the recipe. It says 15-20 minutes

Anonymous said...

Hello Darlings, Just made some pudding, before seeing your site! Has turned out lovely just the same. I drained as best I could and introduced the gorgeous pearls into a simple sugar syrup, to avoid the clumping. Will shortly make a nice sweet milky, coconuty mix to pour these into. Should be delish. Thanks for your tips too. Rgds, Karim

Ady said...

Hmmm, one wonders if the Malaysian / indian / chinese accent is 'put on' or if it's the other way around - that the English / Aussie etc accent is put on. My English husband thinks it's funny how I regress to speaking 'manglish' when I'm with Malaysian friends or my family. I can't help it! It happens automatically!! LOL!! Back to this recipe - I always thought you had to rinse the cooked sago to wash away any residual starches so that when it is served, it breaks up into perfect little sago pearls. Is this the case or are modern sago pearls less starchy?

Anonymous said...

helloo.
i love love this. mom has been doing this eversince i was young and this has been our favourite buka-puasa dessert :) thanks for posting this anyway because i've never bothered to ask mom how to make this. lol.

btw, your blog inspires me a lot and i enjoy reading each of your posts :D

poofye said...

Hi Su-yin, i really love your blog, you inspire me alot in cooking and baking ;)

just a question, how many grams is your one block of gula melaka? because when i melted the gula melaka in the microwave for 40mins, 10mins into the melting, it got burnt.. can you please tell me why?

thanks :)

Su-Yin -Décorateur said...

Hahahahha seconds.. not minutes...oh god; i cant believe i made that error. so sorry poofye

Anonymous said...

I have found another way to cook sago from a website. I have tried it and the result is good. I thought you may want to try this mehtod out.

*To cook sago:

1. Boil about 3 cups of water in a saucepan. Add in sago pearls and bring to boil.

2. Once it boils, cover saucepan and turn off heat. Leave for 20 minutes.

3. Remove the lid, stir the mixture, turn on the heat and bring it to boil again.

4. Once it boils the second time, cover again, turn off the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes. The sago should be cooked by now.

5. Drain the sago from the hot water and rinse. Soak in cold water (to stop it cooking further). When completely cool drain again and set aside.

Jaque said...

I'm doing a report on sago and need to know where it can be purchased and what the cost is. Can you help me out?