Lately, I have been making a lot of sago for after-dinner dessert. Recently I tried durian sago and it is one of my favorite ones so far. It is creamy, stinky, and very relaxing to eat after a big meal. You can eat it right away or freeze it for one hour to stiffen the texture of the tapioca. Personally, I love the flavor of slightly frozen tapioca.
Can't get enough of Durian Desserts? Try my Durian Mochi next!
🍨 About This Recipe
Durian is naturally very creamy so it works very well with sago. When you add coconut milk, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk it makes it even better. The outcome is exceptionally creamy. All you do is combine the ingredients in a blender and blend it until it is smooth, then mix it with tapioca pearls.
The chewiness of the tapioca is my favorite part. You should use the small-sized tapioca pearls from Asian grocery stores. There are larger-sized ones but I have never seen those used for sago. I have used them for bubble tea but they can take over an hour to cook.
🧂 Ingredients
- Tapioca Pearls: You will want to use the small tapioca pearls from Asian grocery stores. They are about the size of caviar or small mustard seeds.
- Durian Flesh: Make sure to remove the brown seeds.
- Coconut Milk: The first part of the creamy base is coconut milk. You will want to use full-fat coconut milk as it will make the sago much creamier.
- Evaporated Milk: The second part is evaporated milk. Good sago really needs evaporated milk to give it a strong milky flavor.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: You can adjust this to your own taste.
- Vanilla extract: This enhances the flavor, and I highly recommend including it.
🔪 Instructions
STEP 1: Bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boil, then add tapioca pearls. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the pearls become completely translucent.
If the tapioca pearls still have a white dot in the center, that means they are not fully cooked. Just let them cook a little longer until they are fully translucent.
When they are done, strain them through a fine sieve and rinse with tap water to remove the excess starches. Soak them in a bowl of cold water to prevent drying out and set aside.
STEP 2: In a blender, add the durian flesh, evaporated milk, coconut milk, condensed milk, and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth then transfer to a large bowl.
STEP 3: Add the cooked tapioca to the durian mixture and mix everything together.
At this point, it is ready to serve, or you can chill it in the fridge if you prefer it cold. If you like the texture to be more runny, you can add a little more milk or water to thin it out.
One of my favorite ways to eat sago is by freezing it for one hour. I love the texture of slightly frozen tapioca. It is stiffer and chewier than fresh tapioca. Keep in mind that it is not for everyone, my wife hates it.
If you want to try it, just freeze the entire durian sago for one hour. Some of the liquid around the edges will become solid so you will have to give it a good mix before eating.
If you try it, do let me know what you think in the comments! So far, I have never found anyone who enjoys it as much as I do.
📋 Recipe
Durian Sago
Ingredients
- ½ cup small tapioca pearls
- 1 ½ cups durian flesh (about 400g)
- 1 cup coconut milk
- ¾ cup evaporated milk
- ¼ cup sweetened condensed milk (or 1 cup of vanilla ice cream)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boil, then add the tapioca pearls. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the pearls become completely translucent. If the tapioca pearls still have a white dot in the center after 30 minutes, just let them cook a little longer until they are fully translucent. When they are done, strain them through a fine sieve and rinse with tap water to remove the excess starches. Soak them in a bowl of cold water to prevent drying out and set aside.
- In a blender, add the durian flesh, evaporated milk, coconut milk, condensed milk, and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth then transfer to a large bowl.
- At this point, it is ready to serve, or you can chill it in the fridge if you prefer it cold. If you like the texture to be more runny, you can add a little more milk or water to thin it out. My favorite way to eat it is to freeze it for one hour. This makes the tapioca stiffer and chewier.
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