Blue Sago Pudding with Mango Recipe, by Petty Pandean-Elliot
This classic Indonesian sago pearl dessert gets a refreshing modern twist with a natural burst of colour and flavour. The pearls are tinted blue with bunga telang (butterfly pea flower), which grows abundantly across Indonesia, adding a striking hue without artificial colouring. To brighten the flavour, it’s topped with a tangy coulis made from fresh, ripe strawberries – now widely cultivated by farmers in Java and Bali. Sweet mango, toasted almond flakes and a mix of seeds bring contrasting textures, creating a dessert that’s as balanced as it is beautiful.
Ingredients for Blue Sago Pudding
For the jelly
- 100 g strawberries, halved
- 300 ml water
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoons agar-agar
For the strawberry coulis
- 150 gstrawberries, trimmed and cut into bite-size cubes
- 2 tablespoons icing sugar
- ¼ teaspoon lime juice
For the pudding
- 2 tablespoons dried butterfly pea flowers
- 100 g sago or cassava pearls
- 200 ml coconut milk
- 1 pandan leaf, tied into a knot, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ripe mango, cut into 1-cm/½-inch cubes
- 20 g/¾ almond flakes, toasted
How to make blue sago pudding
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First, make the strawberry jelly. Combine all the ingredients except the agar-agar in a blender and blend well. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve (strainer) into a saucepan, add the agar-agar and mix well. Bring to the boil over medium heat, then turn the heat off. Pour the mixture into a 13 x 20-cm/5 x 8-inch container. Set aside to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours until set.
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Next, make the strawberry coulis. Put all the ingredients into a pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes, until the strawberries are softened. Using a small blender, blend well and set aside.
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Make the pudding. Put 600 ml/20 fl oz (2½ cups) of water into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the dried butterfly pea flowers and boil for 3–4 minutes. Strain the blue water into a bowl and set aside to cool. Add the sago pearls and soak for 30 minutes.
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Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, until the sago pearls turn translucent and stir occasionally to prevent them from sticking together. Set aside for 3 minutes, until the sago pearls have turned blue. Drain, then transfer to a bowl of cold water. Refrigerate until needed.
- In a saucepan, combine the coconut milk and pandan leaf. Bring to the boil, then set aside to cool. Refrigerate until needed. To serve, cut the strawberry jelly into 1-cm/½-inch cubes. Put 3 tablespoons of sago pearls into serving bowls and top each with 2 tablespoons of strawberry jelly. Top each with mango cubes, 100 ml/3½ fl oz (scant ½ cup) of the flavoured coconut milk and 1–2 tablespoons of the strawberry coulis. Sprinkle with toasted almonds.
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