Jackfruit Sago Dessert, a Southeast Asian sweet soup consisting of nangka (jackfruit) and sago in a fragrant coconut sauce. Delicious served warm or cold.
Jackfruit Sago Dessert, a.k.a. Pengat Nangka Bersago (in Malay) has its origin in Thailand and the Malay Archipelago where the fruit is easily available. The combination of nangka (jackfruit), coconut milk, and pandan is delightfully fragrant and delicious. Sago provides additional texture and helps thicken the sauce.
Jackfruit Sago Dessert is wonderful served warm in small portions. It is also quite refreshing served cold with crushed ice. If you live outside of the region, this dessert is definitely not your everyday dessert. Nor can you find it easily at any restaurants. The good thing is that it is very easy to prepare and is one well worth trying when jackfruit is available at the Asian markets.
Jackfruit is a large fruit. In fact, it is one of the largest tree-borned fruits. Fortunately, it can be purchased in smaller portions at most Asian markets. For this recipe, be sure to get Nangka (artocarpus heterophyllus) and not Cempedak (artocarpus integer). Both look and smell very similar. Nangka is usually bigger and greener. The flesh is fibrous and has a crispy texture. Please use canned or frozen jackfruit if fresh jackfruit is not available.
Do not fret if you purchased cempedak instead of nangka because I have you covered. Check out my other blog, Roti n Rice for this equally delightful Cempedak Coconut Ice Cream.
Jackfruit Sago Dessert, a Southeast Asian sweet soup consisting of nangka (jackfruit) and sago in a fragrant coconut sauce. Delicious served warm or cold.
- ¼ cup sago or tapioca pearls (40g)
- 2½ cups coconut milk (600ml)
- 1 pandan leaves
- 1/3 cup sugar (70g)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup jackfruit (nangka) peeled, seeded, and cut into ½ inch strips (150g)
- 1 cup crushed ice (optional)
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Cook sago (or tapioca pearls) in a pot of boiling water until translucent. Sago is cooked when center is no longer opaque, about 8 minutes. Pour sago into a sieve and rinse under running water to remove excessive starch. Drain well.
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Combine coconut milk, pandan leaf, sugar, and salt in a medium size saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium low heat. Stir to dissolve sugar and salt.
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Add jackfruit and cooked sago (or tapioca pearls). Bring it back up to a boil. Turn off stove.
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Serve warm in small bowls or cold with crushed ice.
I can’t even remember when was the last time I ate this Jackfruit Sago Dessert. It was a real treat for both Paul and I. A portion of the fruit was kept for use in a Jackfruit Shrimp Curry to be posted soon on Roti n Rice. I will post a link here once it is live on the blog. Be sure to check back for the recipe. You don’t want to miss it!
Clement Chin says
June 26, 2016 at 9:54 amSince we are living away from home Malaysia, your page has been very helpful for us to self serve and cook up our favorite Malaysian foodies. Some of them lost in Malaysian market. Some lost in time. Luckily we have you to recover our favorite tastes.