No-Bake Malaysian Sago Pudding with Gula Melaka and Coconut Cream

Bring the 8 cups of water to a rolling boil in a large pot and add the salt. Sago needs far more water than it looks like it should, or the pearls glue together.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup small pearl sago (about 200 g)
• 8 cups water, for boiling
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 200 g gula melaka (palm sugar), chopped, or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water, for the syrup
• 2 pandan leaves, knotted (optional but traditional)
• 1 cup thick coconut cream, chilled
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons toasted coconut flakes, for serving
• 1 ripe mango, cut into small dice, for serving

Instructions

1. Bring the 8 cups of water to a rolling boil in a large pot and add the salt. Sago needs far more water than it looks like it should, or the pearls glue together.
2. Rain the sago into the boiling water while stirring constantly, then simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often, until the pearls are translucent with only a tiny white dot at the center.
3. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let it stand for 10 minutes. The residual heat finishes the centers without turning the outsides to paste.
4. Drain the sago into a fine sieve and rinse it thoroughly under cold running water, tossing with your hand, until the pearls are cold and no longer sticky.
5. Spoon the drained sago into six small glasses or ramekins, pressing lightly to settle it, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight until firmly set.
6. Make the syrup: simmer the gula melaka, 1/2 cup water and the knotted pandan leaves in a small saucepan for 6 to 8 minutes, until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Discard the pandan and chill the syrup completely.
7. Whisk the lime juice into the cold coconut cream just before serving. The acid keeps the cream from tasting flat against all that palm sugar.
8. Unmold each pudding onto a plate, or serve in the glasses, then pour over the cold gula melaka syrup and spoon the coconut cream on top.
9. Finish with toasted coconut flakes and diced mango and serve immediately, while the syrup is still pooling around the base.
10. Malaysians call this sago gula melaka, and it is the dessert that ends a heavy meal in Penang and Melaka without adding any weight to it. The three components stay separate until the last moment, which is the trick: the sago is neutral and cold, the palm sugar syrup is smoky and dark, and the salted coconut cream bridges them. Nothing goes near an oven, and every part can be made a day ahead, which makes it one of the most practical desserts in the tropical repertoire.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 410 kcal
• Protein: 3g
• Fat: 13g
• Carbohydrates: 72g
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugar: 44g
• Sodium: 115mg