Honeydew Sago
With coconut milk & mint
SINGAPORE
Chilled sweet ‘soups’ like this are very common in our hot tropical weather and the most elaborate ones can include shaved ice, sweetcorn, cubes of fruit or sweet yam, and tapioca jellies in all sorts of crazy colours. Amidst all the psychedelic options, honeydew sago must look pretty boring with its muted pale colours and bare ingredients list, but its plainness belies just how perfectly the flavours and textures work together. Mint is not often added, and sugar rather than honey is the usual sweetener; but I use them because I find they bring out the refreshing sweetness of the honeydew melon.
- 60g tiny sago pearls
- 1 medium ripe honeydew melon
- 200ml thick coconut milk
- 200ml water
- 5 tablespoons runny mild honey, or to taste
- a handful of fresh mint
- Put the sago pearls into a pot of boiling water. Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the sago from sticking. It should turn mostly translucent now, except for a tiny white dot in the middle. Turn the heat off, cover the pot with a lid and let stand for another 10 minutes, until the sago turns fully translucent. Rinse the cooked sago pearls through a sieve to remove excess starch, then drain and tip into a bowl with plenty of cool water until ready to use.
- Peel and deseed the honeydew melon. Cut half of it into chunks, and dice the other half into small cubes.
- Mix together the coconut milk, water and honey, tasting and adjusting as you go along. Tip into a blender along with the honeydew chunks and blend until smooth, adding more water if necessary to thin the mixture. Add the small honeydew cubes to the mixture and place in the fridge to chill.
- To serve, spoon the sago into bowls, scoop the honeydew coconut mixture over, and finish with torn fresh mint.
Note: This dessert is also great in autumn made with pears. Make sure to use very ripe pears, or, if you like, poach them gently in the coconut milk and water.