You are relaxing at a tropical place, enjoying a light breeze and warmth at 30°C (86°F).
You want something ice cold and refreshing... like a beer, cocktail or icy cold soft drinks.
Or something sweet and soothing... like the traditional southeast Asian desserts that are made with coconut milk.
Are you thinking of what I'm thinking? Yes??? I'm talking about desserts like bubur hitam, chendol and bo bo cha cha. These are the desserts that I crave to eat the most during summery weather like NOW! Unfortunately, the health conscious me have not been eating much of these anymore.
Are these yummy desserts going to be erased from my memory? Kind of sad, isn't it?
"Do you miss eating bo bo cha cha or chendol?" I asked my husband.
"A little... but please don't cook them because we will end up eating more than one bowl!!!" Like me, my husband is conscious of the fat and sugar content of these desserts.
I know! I shall cook something similar but something that is really light, simple and easy. So light that we won't feel guilty after enjoying the dessert. So simple that I can make in small portions. So easy that I can make this quick and often. Hence this is what I have made...
The light and easy traditional gula Melaka sago pudding
To start, I need to make a gula Melaka syrup.
This gula Melaka, a Malaysia made product is commonly found in most Asian groceries.
I assembled a few ingredients and made this syrup in less than 10 minutes.
Transfer this syrup into a container with cover and chill it in a fridge.
Next I cooked the fine sago.
IMPORTANT: Please aware that sago is NOT tapioca pearl!!! Although the sago do look like tapioca pearl, they are different as they are lighter and easier to digest with less chewy texture. So please take note!
Distribute the well-drained sago into cups or moulds.
Wrap them with cling wrap and chill them in a fridge.
When the syrup and sago are both nice and cold... I assembled and served this dessert with chilled coconut milk.
Imagine eating this cold, light, refreshing and delicious gula Melaka sago pudding on a hot summer day...
Super satisfying!!!
"Yummm.... Mum, can I have more of these eggs?" asked my son after finishing his bowl of sago pudding.
"Honey, they are not eggs! They are sago!" I tried to explain.
"I don't want sago! I want gula Melaka eggs!!!"
Hmmm... What can I say?
Serves 4
100g gula Melaka, plus extra to sprinkle when served
1 pandan leaf, washed, split and knotted*
125g water
salt to taste
200 ml coconut milk, I really like the lighter version of this dessert made with Ayam brand coconut milk with 13% fat
100g fine sago (NOT pearl tapioca)
*If fresh pandan is unavailable, you can either omit this ingredient or replace this ingredient with a small amount (1-2 drops) of pandan essence or extract.
Place gula Melaka, pandan leaf and water in a small saucepan. Bring it to boil and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved (less than 5 mins). Taste the syrup and add extra sugar or salt according to your preference but I reckon this amount of sugar is perfect. Remove from heat and allow the syrup to cool, then chill it in the fridge.
To cook the sago, fill a medium pot with adequate water. Add a pinch of salt and bring it to boil. Add sago and cook until transparent. Pour through a sieve to drain excess water. Divide sago into cups or moulds, then chill them in the fridge.
If you are using coconut milk that is squeezed from grated coconut, add a pinch of salt into the milk and bring to boil. Leave it to cool to room temperature, then chill it in the fridge. If you are using the canned coconut milk, you don't have to cook it before consuming it. Just empty the milk into a clean bowl, mix in a pinch of salt and chill the milk in the fridge.
Combine cold sago with cold coconut milk and syrup and serve.
Enjoy the dessertPlease support me and like me at Facebook...
As this is a traditional Southeast Asian dessert to eat for all occasions including Chinese New Year, I would like to link this post at Cook and Celebrate: Chinese New Year 2016 hosted by Yen from GoodyFoodies, Diana from The Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids at here.
