Sago Gula Melaka

A truly classic Malaysian dessert. Served cold with coconut milk and Gula Melaka syrup, it is perfect on a hot day!

Hello hello!

I am introducing a classic Malaysian dessert on Nomsies Kitchen today. It is Sago with Gula Melaka.

It is rather simple to make. Sago pearls are boiled with water and then chilled to make little puddings. It is then served with coconut milk and Gula Melaka (palm sugar syrup). It is really easy to do as most of the time used in its preparation is actually inactive time. My British friends have told me it is somewhat similar to rice pudding.

This dessert is perfect eaten on a hot day. A bite of this and you can just imagine that you are at a beach resort in the Tropics. Ahh, now who wouldn’t want that?

Sago Gula Melaka

Prep Time: 10 minutes/ Inactive Prep time: 40 minutes / Cooking time: 30 minutes / Serves 3

Ingredients

Pandan Essence

3 Pandan Leaves

1 Cup Water

Sago Pudding

100gm Sago (soaked for 30 minutes)

½ tsp Salt

½ tsp Sugar

2 Tbsp Pandan Essence

1 litre Water

Gula Melaka Syrup

60gm Gula Melaka

1 tsp Brown Sugar

4 Tbsp Pandan Essence

For Serving

200ml Coconut Milk

¼ tsp Salt

Mint Leaves (optional)

Method

1. Begin by making the pandan essence. Knot the pandan leaves and place in a pot with a cup of water. Simmer for about 10 minutes then remove from heat and set aside.

2. Pour a litre of water into a pot and bring to the boil. Add the sago followed by the salt, sugar and pandan essence. Lower the heat to a simmer and stir off and on, from the bottom. Be careful not to allow the sago to stick to the bottom of the pot or clump together. Cook for about 25- 30 minutes until the sago is translucent. Note: I have found that boiling the water before adding in the sago prevents it from sticking together too much.

3. While the sago is cooking, make the Gula Melaka syrup. Place the grated Gula Melaka, Brown Sugar and pandan essence into a small pot and heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove and set aside.

4. When the Sago is cooked, strain it a bit at a time into a large sieve. Run some cold water over it and strain well. Place the strained sago into ramekins and chill in the fridge for at least an hour until it has set. Stir the salt into the coconut milk and chill in the fridge too.

5. To assemble, remove the sago puddings from the ramekins into a bowl or plate. Pour some of the coconut milk over the sago puddings followed by some of the Gula Melaka syrup. Garnish with some mint.