GOURMET TRAVELLER 61Quick Meals
2 pandan leaves (optional;
see note), tied into a knot
160 gm (1 cup) sago pearls
2 tbsp milk
500 ml (2 cups) coconut milk
PALM-SUGAR SYRUP
250 gm gula Melaka (see note),
chopped
2 pandan leaves, tied into
a knot, or 1 vanilla bean,
split, seeds scraped1 To make sago, place pandan
leaves in a large saucepan and
cover with 3 litres water. Bring
to the boil, then rain in sago
pearls, ensuring water remains
boiling, and cook until semi-
translucent (7 minutes). Remove
from heat, cover and leave until
sago is translucent (10 minutes).
2 Discard pandan, then strain
sago through a fine sieve
and rinse under cold water to
remove excess starch. Transfer
to a large bowl, stir in milk and
a pinch of salt, then stir over a
bowl of ice until chilled. Sago
can be served at this stage,
however, the texture will be
quite soft. Alternatively, spoon
into 6 x 220ml dariole moulds
and refrigerate to set (2 hours).
3 Meanwhile, for palm-sugar
syrup, stir gula Melaka, pandan
and 250ml water in a saucepan
over low-medium heat until
sugar melts. Reduce heat
to low and simmer until a
light syrup (5 minutes). Strain,
discard leaves and cool.
4 Combine coconut milk with
a pinch of salt. Turn out sago
from moulds or spoon onto
plates, spoon over salted
coconutmilk and drizzle with
palm-sugar syrup to serve.
NoteGula Melaka and pandan
leaves are available from
Asian grocers; if gula Melaka
is unavailable, use another palm
sugar (the flavour will vary).●SAGO GULA MELAKA
Sago puddingSERVES 6
Sago pudding is a very popular dessert in Malaysia and
Singapore. This pretty, simple sweet is served with syrup
made with gula Melaka – a dark palm sugar derived from
the nectar of a coconut palm flowerbud. Serve these on
their own, or with passionfruit or diced mango.