Classic Malaysian Dessert | Sago Gula Melaka Dessert Recipe

So I used to have this dessert a lot when I was a kid. Nowadays there are just so many fancy desserts out there. I don't actually see this on the menu that often anymore. Well, this sago dessert is a classic Malaysian dessert. The sago is soft and chewy and it just goes really well with gula melaka and fragrant coconut milk. So let's get started. First, let's cook the sago. Here I have 150 grams of sago. We're going to boil the water in a pot and then we're going to add the sago in after that. Make sure you use a big pot because the sago is going to be really starchy with very little water. Once the water is boiling, add in the sago. Remember to cook it on medium heat because you want the water to be bubbling like this so that the sago doesn't sink to the base and get stuck to the pot. Keep the pot uncovered and then let it cook for about 15 minutes. While the sago is cooking, let's prep the gula melaka syrup. Okay, the sago has been boiling for about 15 minutes so I'm going to switch off the stove. Then cover the pot and let it sit for about 10 minutes. So for those of you who are not very familiar with gula melaka, this is gula melaka. It comes in usually in a cylinder form and it's the type of palm sugar that originates from Melaka which is a state in Malaysia. So that's why we call it gula melaka but if you can't find gula melaka, you can also use just any palm sugar. First, I'm going to cut it or slice it into smaller pieces so that it's easier to melt later when I cook it. You don't really need to do this and if you're going to put one whole piece of gula melaka into the pot, all you need to do is just cook it for a longer period of time on lower heat. If you find that it's difficult to slice the gula melaka, it's probably being mixed with other types of sugar like brown sugar and well it's actually okay to actually mix the sugar just that you don't get the 100% gula melaka. Okay, let's check whether the sago is done. So when the sago is cooked, it will change to a translucent color. Then remove the excess water. Now pour some drinking water to stop the cooking process. Then use a spoon to stir the sago to remove any excess water. Then transfer the sago to small cups or bowls. Then flatten the surface as much as you can and place them in the fridge to chill. Transfer the gula melaka to a pot. Some brown sugar. The brown sugar is going to add a bit more sweetness to the syrup. Usually the gula melaka is not very sweet so I add more brown sugar to make it sweeter. Some salt and pandan leaf. Just twist it slightly to release the aroma. Then cook on low heat until all the sugar dissolves. Remember to stir this mixture often so that the sugar doesn't burn. You can see that the gula melaka has all dissolved. I'm going to cook it slightly longer just to thicken the syrup and infuse the pandan flavor into the syrup as well. Okay, so once you get the consistency that you like, remove the pandan leaves. Sometimes the gula melaka has got impurities so sieve the syrup after boiling it. Now let's make the fragrant coconut milk. We're gonna add in the coconut milk first into a pot. Just dilute it with just a bit of water. Some salt, pandan leaf. Cook the coconut mixture on low heat. Then stir the mixture very often and once you start to see steam being released from the liquid, you can switch off the stove. You don't want it to overheat then the coconut fats will separate from the water. Remove the pandan leaves. Once the santan and gula melaka is done, place it in the fridge. The seger has chilled in the fridge for two hours so it should set by now and I'm going to unmold it. Okay, so I place a knife gently here at the side and try to remove it. Okay, there you go. Pour over the santan and the gula melaka. Looks so yummy already and decorate it with some pandan leaf. Can't wait to try this. It's so good. It's so refreshing and then the seger is chewy, bouncy and it just tastes so delicious with the gula melaka and the fragrant santan. I hope you try it. See you next time. For more exclusive and easy recipes, feel free to join my Patreon at patreon.com slash RuiAsianRecipes or my YouTube membership. Thank you so much for watching. See you next time.