Palm sugar sago pudding

Name: Palm sugar sago pudding
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Malaysian
Ingredients: sunflower oil for brushing ramekins or tea cups; 300g sago pearls; 2 fresh pandan leaves (optional, but highly recommended); 2 litres water; 1 tsp fine sea salt

Helen Goh

January 31, 2025

This pudding can be served warm or cold, preferably with fresh lychees (pictured). William Meppem

Time:2 hours +Makes:8

Many wonderful treats are offered during the Lunar New Year to usher in a sweet life for the year ahead: rice cakes and sesame balls, sweet dumplings and pineapple tarts, candied fruits and seeds. While I often have these to snack on during this period, it’s this beloved Malaysian sago pudding that I love to serve after dinner. The combination of the chewy sago pearls, creamy coconut milk and delectably rich gula melaka (Malaysian palm sugar, see note) is simply irresistible.

The pudding can be served hot or cold; the sago is chilled after cooking, but the coconut milk and syrup can be warmed gently. Serve with some grated fresh coconut on top or lychees on the side.

Ingredients

FOR THE SAGO

sunflower oil for brushing ramekins or tea cups
300g sago pearls
2 fresh pandan leaves (optional, but highly recommended)
2 litres water
1 tsp fine sea salt

FOR THE GULA MELAKA SYRUP

200g gula melaka*, roughly chopped
100ml water
1 pandan leaf

FOR THE COCONUT MILK

250ml coconut milk
¼ tsp fine sea salt

Method

Step 1
Lightly brush 8 small ramekins (about 150ml capacity), Chinese teacups or espresso cups with the oil, then place on a tray and set aside for now.
Step 2
Place the sago pearls in a large, fine-mesh sieve and run under cold tap water until the water is clear. Set aside to drain.
Step 3
In a large pot, place the water, salt and pandan leaves (if using; tie the leaves together to form a knot to stop them becoming tangled) and bring to a boil. Stream in the sago pearls. Reduce the heat a little to keep the water at a lively simmer and cook the sago – stirring frequently until they turn translucent while retaining a tiny, white, opaque centre – for about 10-15 minutes.
Step 4
Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with cold tap water and place near the stovetop. When the sago pearls are cooked, scoop them out in batches with a fine mesh sieve and drop them into the bowl of cold water.
Step 5
Working in batches, strain the sago. Rinse again under cold tap water to remove excess starch, then tip the sago into a bowl.
Step 6
Spoon the cooked sago into the oiled moulds, about 125g each. Place the moulds on the tray, cover with cling film and place in the fridge to chill and set (from 1 hour up to 3 days).
Step 7
Prepare the syrup by combining all the ingredients in a small saucepan and place over low heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves, then let it simmer for a minute or so to thicken slightly. Discard the pandan leaf and pour the syrup into a jug. Set aside until ready to serve or refrigerate for up to a week.
Step 8
When ready to serve, stir the salt into the coconut milk. Release the chilled, set sago from the moulds and invert them into small bowls or coupe glasses. Spoon about one and a half tablespoons (30ml) of the coconut milk over the sago, then drizzle generously with the syrup.

*Note: Gula melaka is dark brown in colour and sold in solid blocks or cylinders. It has a rich, earthy, slightly smoky flavour with toffee undertones. Substitute with soft, dark-brown sugar (rather than the paler Thai palm sugar) if you don’t have it.