This is an all-time favourite local delicacy of mine. I can hardly resist this dessert whenever any restaurants serve them. Hahhaahhaha....so, as usual, I decided to learn to make it!!! Not a difficult dessert to make but it can be quite cumbersome because of the standing by the stove to stir the pearl sago.How did I actually come about making this dessert? It was because of my niece, Isabelle's 10th birthday. A last minute do which I volunteered to make a Chicken Cottage Pie and since the desserts are normally birthday cakes; I decided to make Sago Gula Melaka. To be honest, I was praying and hoping that it'll turn out well.
And it did!!! It was a real hit!!!
Anyway, here's the recipe. Serves for about 10 people thereabouts.
Ingredients:-
- 500g-600g pearl sago
- 2 1/2 cups of coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- 4 pandan leaves
- 400g palm sugar (gula melaka)
- 2 cups water
1. Rinse and soak pearl sago for about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile boil about 3 litres of water.
3. Once water is boiled, add the drained pearl sago into the hot water. Reduce heat to medium heat and stir constantly so that the pearl sago doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. The pearl sago is ready once it becomes transparent in colour which would take approximately 20-30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, pound the palm sugar. Add 2 cups of water to a pan and bring to boil. Add the palm sugar and stir till palm sugar dissolves. Pour palm sugar through a sieve into a container and store in the fridge to chill for a while.
5. Take another clean pan and add 1 cup of water and coconut milk and pandan leaves and stir till it boils. Add 2 tbsps of sugar to the coconut milk mixture and then remove from fire and store in a bowl or container and chill in the fridge,
6. Once the pearl sago is ready, pour the pearl sago through a sieve and put the sieve under a running tap till cool. You may need to do it multiple times depending on how big your sieve is.
7. Pour the cooled pearl sago into a bowl; add 6 tbps of sugar and a pinch of salt and stir.
8. You may then scoop the ready pearl sago into small cups or leave it in a big bowl and chill in the fridge.
9. Serve with coconut milk and palm sugar.
Voila!!!!!!!!!
**Do take note that the reason sugar and salt is added into the peral sago is to make it taste better because many a times if you just chill the plain sago, it has this very bland taste. If you are making a smaller portion like only about 250g of pearl sago, then use less sugar. It is entirely up to you.**
