Pandan (pandanus) leaves and fresh kaffir lime leaves are available from good Asian supermarkets. They are not entirely necessary to this dish, but add a subtle Asian flavour to it. If you are lucky enough to have cardamon plants growing, add a cardomon leaf to the boiling water instead. If you want more information about pandan or kaffir or cardamom, go to my dictionary.
Growing your own plants is so easy. I have a kaffir lime plant in a pot, about 8 feet tall and flowering this year for the first time. Not that the limes are anything to write home about, but it is exciting nevertheless. And I have cardamon growing in a pot. It doesn't flower but the leaves are used in anything from teas to curries to rice to desserts. Yum.
Also on my balcony in pots are several different kinds of mints, parsley, curry leaf, thyme, basil, rosemary and sage. So much better fresh, and always available.
Tropical Coconut Sago Pudding
| 220g sago | 170g brown sugar | approx 150 - 200g can coconut milk | water to cover - around 4 cups |
| Pandan leaves (optional) | very ripe sweet bananas or other tropical fruits | fresh kaffir lime leaves or lemon/lime rind (optional) |
Boil the water in a large pot. Put the sugar and pandan (pandanus) leaves into the boiling water, and add the sago. Stir periodically so that the sago does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
Keep the water boiling and cook until the sago is transparent - about 30 to 40 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the coconut milk. You can also stir through most of the fruit cut into chunks.
Serve it hot or cold or chilled in the fridge. Top with the remainder of the fruit and some shredded fresh kaffir lime leaves or finely grated lemon or lime peel.
Enjoy!
