Sagu pal (sweet tapioca and red bean balls in coconut soup)

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In this simple Malaysian dessert from Abby Lee, chewy tapioca pearls are used as a wrapping for homemade sweet red bean paste. The whole dish is finished with creamy chunks of yellow jackfruit, for a deliciously cooling dessert.

First published in 2024
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Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Tapioca dumpling skin

  • 50g of tapioca pearls, small ones
  • 100g of warm water

Red bean filling

  • 25g of red adzuki beans, uncooked
  • 200g of water
  • 1 pandan leaf, knotted
  • 25g of gula melaka, finely shaved
  • 1 pinch of fine sea salt, to balance the sweetness

Sweetened coconut soup

Method

1

Prepare the tapioca pearls the night before. Put the tapioca pearls in a wide bowl and pour over the warm water, ensuring it is all covered

  • 50g of tapioca pearls, small ones
  • 100g of warm water
2

Mix everything together evenly, then cover and leave in the fridge to bloom overnight

3

The next day, cover the adzuki beans with plenty of water and bring them to a boil. Once boiling, strain and discard the water

4

Put the adzuki beans back in the same pot with the measured amount of water and pandan leaf

  • 200g of water
  • 1 pandan leaf, knotted
5

Bring to a boil, and then let simmer for 1 hour 10 minutes – 1 hour 20 minutes. Top the beans up with more water as needed while the beans cook so that the beans are always covered. Test if the beans are done by mashing one with a fork – if it mashes easily, remove the pandan leaf and mash all the beans and remaining liquid until mostly broken down

6

Add the gula melaka and salt, stirring to melt the sugar. Keep stirring until the mixture is thick enough that you can draw a line on the bottom of the pot with your spatula, then turn off the heat. Let the mixture cool completely
Roll the red bean filling into one teaspoon balls. Then take a tablespoon of tapioca and squeeze out any remaining liquid

  • 25g of gula melaka, finely shaved
  • 1 pinch of fine sea salt, to balance the sweetness
7

Flatten the tapioca into a circle in your hand. Place the red bean filling in the middle of the tapioca circle and close it shut around the ball of filling. Repeat until you've used up all of the beans and tapioca

8

Place all the finished balls onto a lightly oiled plate or tray which will fit in your steamer

9

For the soup, bring the coconut milk, sugar and pandan leaves to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar

  • 480g of coconut milk
  • 40g of caster sugar
  • 3 pandan leaves, knotted
10

Once the sugar has all dissolved, simmer the soup for 5–10 minutes. Add a small pinch of salt to taste

11

Meanwhile, steam the balls on the oiled plate for 7–8 mins or until translucent

12

To serve, add the tapioca and red bean balls to your sweetened coconut soup and mix until they are nicely coated. Then, distribute between some serving bowls with slices of jackfruit on top

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Abby Lee began her career predominantly cooking Italian food but after moving back to Malaysia during the coronavirus pandemic, began to learn more about the food she grew up eating and decided to pivot towards Malaysian cookery. She has since made a name for herself at her London restaurant Mambow, where her bold modern Malaysian dishes have gone down a storm.

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