Vegan Mango Coconut Sago Pudding

Here's a dessert that is perfect for summer - super fresh and easy to put together!

For those of you who don't know, Sago is a starch extracted from the spongy centre of various tropical palm stems. It is often produced commercially in the form of 'pearls' which can be boiled with milk or water to make a sweet sago pudding.

We were inspired to create this dessert after trying it at a Vietnamese restaurant. There are different variations but it's best known for being a simple dessert - just sago pearls and milk served with a sweet syrup. We decided to use coconut sugar as it has a more 'caramel' flavour and is one of the most sustainable sugars you can buy!

Sago palms originate and grow in South-East Asia. Here are some I saw in the jungle during my trip to Borneo last year!

You can buy sago from most health food shops and asian grocers.

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Makes: 5 desserts Cooking time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sago pearls

• 1 cups coconut milk

• 2 ripe mangoes

• 4 tbsp coconut sugar

• Fresh raspberries

• Shredded coconut

Method:

• Fill up a medium sized pot with water and bring to the boil. Add the sago, reduce the heat and cook for 10 min, stirring gently until the sago pearls become translucent.

• Remove the pot from the heat, then drain and rinse the sago with cold water in a strainer to get rid of excess starch.

• Put the rinsed sago back into the pot and fill with enough cold water to cover it. Cook on medium heat for another 10 minutes, then drain and rinse like before.

• Repeat this process until pearls are tender but chewy and translucent with no white in the centre.

• In a Nutribullet or blender, blend the coconut milk and one of the chopped mangoes till you get a creamy, yellow consistency.

• Chop the other mango into cubes but leave one cheek to slice for the garnish.

• Combine the sago peals, blended mango/coconut milk and mango cubes in a mixing bowl. Chill in the fridge while you make the syrup.

• To make the sugar syrup, add 4 tbsp coconut sugar and 1/4 cup of water to a small saucepan. Cook over medium hear, stirring regularly until the sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool slightly.

• Distribute the sago into 5 dessert glasses. Drizzle over about a tablespoon of the sugar syrup (or as much as you like) and top with some sliced mango, raspberries and shredded coconut.