Mango Pomelo Sago Dessert
I first tried this Hong Kong dessert many years ago when my family and I were visiting our extended family in Hong Kong. It’s a cooling, summery dessert soup served in little dessert shops and even upscale dinner restaurants. My husband and I had it again after a decadent meal of Peking Duck on our most recent trip to Hong Kong and I’ve been dreaming about this little dessert ever since.
Mango Sago is sweet, tart, and creamy, punctuated with subtle bursts of fragrant citrus and chewy sago (tapioca pearls). Traditionally Mango Sago is made with cream, milk, and sugar, but this lightened up version is completely dairy-free, refined-sugar free, and Paleo.
You can use grapefruit instead of pomelo, but I highly recommend pomelo if you can find it. Pomelo is everywhere now that it is Chinese New Year season, so there’s a good chance you will find it at your local grocery store. It’s considered a “prosperous” food to eat during the new year, so stock up! Or, you can finally go make that pomelo helmet for your cat.
I recommend using Ataulfo mangoes because of the smoother texture and deeper color. If you can’t find them, just make sure you are using very ripe and juicy mangoes. The dessert is delicious with just the mango and coconut milk, so you can skip the citrus and tapioca if you’re looking for something super quick.
Note: I like to use Chaokoh Coconut Milk found in most asian grocery stores for asian cooking, otherwise I almost always use Trader Joe’s Organic Coconut Milk (full-fat) since it doesn’t have any additives or thickeners!
MANGO SAGO DESSERT
Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
2 ripe mangoes, chopped
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup sago (small tapioca pearls)
3 pieces of pomelo, peeled and pith removed
3 pieces of grapefruit, peeled and segmented
1/2 cup of coconut water, mango juice, or water (optional)
METHOD
Soak the sago in a bowl of room temperature water for 10 minutes to soften. Drain, and then cook in a small pot of boiling water on medium heat for another 8-10 minutes until cooked through. Drain, rinse, and set aside to cool.
Reserve and set aside some diced mango for serving. Place the remaining diced mangoes into a high speed blender (I got a sweet deal on a Vitamix from Costco) with the coconut milk and blend until smooth. If you like the consistency to be thinner and less pudding like, add the coconut water, mango juice, or water to the blender as well.
In a large bowl pour in the mango and coconut mixture and fold in the drained and cooled tapioca pearls. Tear in small pieces of pomelo and grapefruit pulp into the mixture and mix. Serve chilled in bowls topped with the reserved chopped mango, additional pomelo, and grapefruit pieces for garnish.