Mango pomelo sago is a chilled soup dessert popular in Hong Kong and some Chinese Restaurants. It consist of mango puree cooked with sugar syrup and evaporated milk (some use coconut milk, fresh milk etc), topped with mango chunks, pomelo segments and tapioca balls aka known as sago. Since it’s Chinese New Year and pomelo are everywhere, I decided to make this dessert. Plus, the weather is just too hot to handle. I’m not sure if it is mango season now or not but I could only get Thai Golden Lily Mango from the road side stalls. I asked for those which are ripe and sweet and left it to ripen even more in my house for 2 days. Then I used it for this dessert.
You want the natural sweetness of the fruit to sweeten the dessert so you don’t need to use so much processed sugar. If you can’t get fresh mango, you can also use frozen mango puree which are available in the supermarkets. I remember when I was studying in Australia, the shop that I work for would store frozen mango cheeks to dress their yogurt parfait. I’m not that good in cutting mango so I’d recommend frozen mango cheeks if it is not in season or you can’t get mango in your country.
Frozen fruits are not wrong, as they are plucked when they are ripe then blast frozen. Just like why sometimes, fresh berries are so sour here; they are plucked before optimum ripeness as it need to be exported and sent to different countries, hence the natural sweetness of the fruit is compromised. But, just work with whatever fruits in season you can get in your place.
Anyway.
Back to the dessert. Australian, Indian and Philippines mango varieties are popular as they are very sweet. So if you are using them, you can cut down on sugar.
The recipe is quite simple but it requires a few components, diced fruits, cooked sago and the cream. Pomelo segments are peeled and added to it to balance the sweetness of it. There are some sweet pomelo with a slight tang to it. It can also be a bit bitter. So, if you do not have pomelo where you are at, you can use grapefruit as a replacement. Since it is best served cold, make sure you give ample time to cool before serving.
- 100g sago pearls
- 2 fresh mango, peeled
- ¼ fresh pomelo, peeled and separated
- 200 ml fresh milk
- 250 ml evaporated milk
- 100g caster sugar
- 200 ml water
- 200g ice cubes (I used frozen mango puree as I had some leftover)
- Make the mango puree, roughly chop 1 peeled mango to small pieces and blend it in a blender. For the 2nd mango, cut to dices and keep in a container for use later.
- Soak sago pearls in water for 5 mins, drain and set aside. Place about enough water in a large pot and bring it to a full boil. Add the sago pearls and cook until translucent (about 5 mins). Keep the water at a rolling boil all the time, stirring occasionally to prevent the pearls from setting to the bottom of the pot.
- The pearls will turn transluscent and that you can't see the white bits. Remove from heat. Use a sift, drain and rinse the sago pearls under running water until cool (this helps to remove any excess starch), drain and set aside.
- Mix fresh milk, sugar and water in a pot. Heat over low heat and bring to a boil. Add evaporated milk then remove from heat and add the ice cubes (I'm using frozen mango puree in replace of the ice cubes. When the ice cubes are melted, add in fresh mango puree. Stir to combine. Mix in the sago pearls.
- Allow the mixture to cool completely and chill it in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
- To serve, pour mango cream in a bowl or cup. Top with diced mango and pomelo. Serve cold.
Enjoy!
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