Sago Gula Melaka (Tapioca Pearls with Pandan Syrup, Coconut Milk and Unrefined Palm Sugar Syrup)

Man...just trying to write this blogpost took me forever! Not because it isn't easy to write the blog but to figure out what I did! hahahahahaha...yes i know...i always cook on the go anyway...and by gut instinct!

so...i've made Sago Gula Melaka a number of times now and this particular desert has appeared on both the Budaya Kusina supperclubs held recently. It will make a third outing this 9th of September. Called 'dessert caviar' by @fabcooking and dubbed 'BEST IN SHOW' at the recent #SundayFeasts Supperclub Media Event by We Are Pop Up's Creative Director, yours truly had to publish it.. of course after much insistence from my friends who are like wringing my neck by now for taking my time in writing my recipes down (yes yes Baz...I know).

Anyway, so here's how to make it :)

Ingredients:

About 1 1/2 cups of sago (tapioca pearls) 

boiling water

Syrups:

Pandan Syrup:

5 pandan leaves washed and cleaned 

1 cup water

1/2 cup cane sugar

Coconut Milk:

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 tsp salt

Unrefined Palm Sugar (Gula Melaka) Syrup:

About a quarter of palm sugar block

2 heaping tbsp dark brown sugar

5 pandan leaves washed and cleaned

4 tbsp water

Method:

1. Firstly give the sago a good clean rinse under running water before soaking in a bowl for 1/2 hour. 
2. While sago is soaking, make your syrups leaving coconut milk to the last as it needs to be slightly warm. Firstly make sure to knot the two bunch of pandan leaves and put in individual pots. 
3. Starting with the pandan syrup, add in all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Once sugar has melted and bubbling away, bring to a simmer and turn knotted pandan leaves over to allow water to soak through pandan leaves. You'll know the pandan essence is seeping into the syrup when the leaves start to emit a fragrance when simmering. Leave it for about another 5 minutes on the lowest heat before setting aside.
4. Then the unrefined palm sugar. Either finely chop the block or grate it. Then place into a pot with another knot of pandan leaves along with the brown sugar and water. Bring to a boil. When both brown sugar and palm sugar is fully dissolved and bubbling away, bring to a simmer again. Turn the pandan leaves once more. This should also be about another 5 minutes. When the syrup cools down, it must have a thick consistency. Too much water and it'll make it too runny!!!
5. Now, the sago should be ready to rinsed off any excess sago flour if any. Before rinsing off sago, bring to boil a kettle of water. then drain the sago through a sieve. When water is boiled, pour over sago until the sago turns transparent or semi transparent. Don't worry too much as the sago when in contact with hot water will instantly cook itself. Remember to use a spoon to run through the sago while pouring the hot water to allow all the sago to get 'cooked'!
6. Next, run through cold water to avoid overcooking the sago. Run it through your fingers. Might seem quite weird when touching it but it allows the sago to also go through the your fingers and 'unclumping' them.
7. Bring our your moulds, doesn't matter what you have. I used silicone moulds but any mini pie mould or brioche mould is also fine. Or if you don't have use a small bowl. Spoon in the cooked sago into the mould and flatten the surface. Once completed, refrigerate overnight.
8. Your syrups can be kept outside or refrigerated.
9. The next day, remove it from the moulds and place the sago onto plates, mini bowls or soup spoons like what I did. 
10. Then heat up half a cup of coconut milk first with salt before adding in the other half cup of coconut milk.
11. Now the assembly. On the sago that has been turned onto plates, dribble on the pandan syrup generously. Then spoon around 2 tbsp of coconut milk. Finally dribble on the unrefined palm sugar syrup. Serve immediately.

It goes well with even a scoop of ice cream too if you fancy it! But otherwise, on its own is absolutely divine. Don't want to have to go through all this trouble? Then just pop by our supperclub (buy your tickets to be on the safe side) on the 9th of September and have a piece of heaven in your mouth :-)

Otak otak recipe coming up,

The Innovative Baker