Sago Gula Melaka with Caramelised Bananas.

This page features a recipe for Sago Gula Melaka.

Desserts made from Sago are very popular in Malaysia and South-East Asia as it is readily available.

According to Wikipedia, Sago is a starch extracted from the pith of sago palm stems, Metroxylon sagu.

It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of Papua New Guinea and the Moluccas, where it is called saksak and sagu. It is traditionally cooked and eaten in the form of a pancake and served with fish.

Sago looks like many other starches, and both sago and tapioca are produced commercially in the form of "pearls".

Sago pearls are similar in appearance to tapioca pearls, and the two may be used interchangeably in some dishes. This similarity causes some confusion in the names of dishes made with the pearls.

Gula Melaka is palm sugar and also specific to South-East Asia. If you cannot obtain Gula Melaka in your local supermarket or Asian mart, you substitute with regular brown sugar.

Ok, enough about the facts and fancies, give this delicious simple Sago Gula Melaka recipe a go!

This recipe was obtained from the Malaysian Woman's Weekly.

Sago Gula Melaka with Caramelised Bananas.

Ingredients.

Sago

2 litres water

100 g sago pearls

Palm Sugar Syrup

150 g palm sugar (gula melaka) chopped (if palm sugar is unavailable, use brown sugar instead.)

50 ml water

Coconut Cream

100 ml coconut cream (available at Asian supermarkets and most major chains.)

50 ml water

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp plain sugar

Caramel Bananas

2 tbsps butter

6 small ripe Bananas, halved lengthwise

2-3 tsps sugar.

Preparation of Sago Gula Melaka.

1. To prepare the sago, bring water to a boil in a pan. Once boiling, add sago and stir so that pearls are kept loose. Simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off fire and cover pan.

2. Let pan stand for 15 minutes to cool down.

3. Pour cooked sago into a sieve and rinse under running water to wash off excess starch. Sago pearls should be loose and not clumped together. Drain well.

4. Fill tiny tea cups or dessert cups with the sago until 3/4 full. Rinse tea cups with water first to prevent sago from sticking to the bottom. Cover with cling film and chill until needed.

5. For palm sugar syrup, simmer sugar with water over a medium fire until sugar dissolves and mixture is syrupy. Strain.

6. Prepare coconut cream by placing coconut cream, water, salt and flour in a pan. Turn on fire on low and stir until lump-free. Let mixture boil and thicken. Set aside to cool.

7. For the Bananas, heat butter in a non-stick pan. Place Bananas in a single layer in the pan and cook over high fire.

8. Sprinkle lightly with sugar; turn Bananas over and sprinkle more sugar on the other side.

9. Cook for 2 minutes on each side or until Bananas are slightly caramelised.

10. To serve either pour coconut cream and palm sugar directly onto cups and decorate with caramelised Bananas OR

11. gently remove the sago from the cups by placing it upside down on a shallow plate. Remove by gently separating the sides with a butter knife. Pour coconut cream and palm sugar according to taste and decorate with the Bananas.

And voila! You've made a yummy Malaysian Dessert- Sago Gula Melaka!