If you are looking for a refreshing summer dessert, you need to try this delicious mango sago in coconut milk.
Ingredients for Mango Sago with Coconut Milk
The ingredients for this recipe are listed down below. Make sure you have everything on this list prior to making this recipe.
- Small white tapioca pearls: While this dish is traditionally made with sago pearls, these can be difficult to find, so I recommend getting small white tapioca pearls, which will be almost identical.
- Fresh mango chunks: You can use defrosted frozen mango, but fresh mango is going to be the better choice for overall taste and texture.
- Coconut milk: I recommend using full fat canned coconut milk. You can use lite coconut milk but I typically find the texture is off.
- Sweetened condensed milk: If you don’t have any sweetened condensed milk, you can use maple syrup or honey as a replacement.
- Vanilla extract: This is optional, but it adds a lot of additional flavor and dimension to the dish and pairs great with the flavor of coconut and mango.
How to make Mango Sago with Coconut Milk
Bring four cups of water to a boil in a medium sized pot at high heat, then add the sago or tapioca pearls. Stir and bring back to a boil, then simmer at medium heat for about 20 minutes. The sago or tapioca pearls should be completely translucent.
Drain sago or tapioca from the hot water, then transfer the cooked sago or tapioca to a large bowl of cold water. Let sit to fully cool down.
Next, peel and cut the mango into small chunks. Set aside. In a blender, add coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, a handful of the mango chunks (leave some for topping) and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth.
Finally, drain the sago or tapioca pearls and combine with the coconut milk mixture. Transfer the mango coconut sago to small glasses and top with leftover mango chunks.
What is sago?
Sago is made from the pith of sago palm trees. They are small white pearls which look almost identical to small tapioca pearls, making them easily interchangeable in recipes.
Tapioca, on the other hand, is made from cassava roots. It’s most popularly consumed as the small balls at the bottom of a bubble tea.
Where to buy sago
Sago pearls can be very difficult to find, even at your local Asian grocer. If you are unable to find sago pearls, I recommend buying tapioca pearls. They will look very similar to each other.
You can always purchase sago pearls online if you would prefer to use the real thing. Here are a few options that are shelf stable and can be shipped to you.
Alternatives to coconut milk
If you don’t want to use coconut milk, don’t worry. Whether you are allergic to coconut or just don’t enjoy the taste, there are plenty of other alternatives you can use for this recipe.
For dairy free alternatives you can try oat milk, almond butter, hemp milk, pea milk or cashew milk. The thicker the better, since this will better replicate coconut milk.
If dairy doesn’t bother you, you can also try regular cow’s milk, ideally whole milk but 2% milk would work fine as well.
Whatever alternative you choose, the recipe will stay the same and you will use the same amounts listed in the original recipe.
Alternatives to mango
Although this recipe is called mango sago, you don’t need to include mango. You can use a variety of other fresh fruit or canned fruit in this recipe.
Here are a few options to try out:
- Canned mandarin oranges
- Canned pears in syrup
- Canned apricots
- Canned peaches
- Fresh pineapple
- Fresh bananas
- Fresh honeydew melon
- Fresh cantaloupe
If you tried out this recipe and loved it, I’d love to hear from you! Comment down below or tag me on social media @tasteitwithtia. I would love to see the final product once it’s complete.
Mango Sago with Coconut Milk
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup small white tapioca pearls
- 2 ripe mangoes
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Bring four cups of water to a boil in a medium sized pot at high heat, then add the sago or tapioca pearls.
- Stir and bring back to a boil, then simmer at medium heat for about 20 minutes or until translucent.
- Drain sago or tapioca from the hot water, then transfer the cooked sago or tapioca to a large bowl of cold water. Let sit to fully cool down.
- Next, peel and cut the mango into small chunks. Set aside. In a blender, add coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, a handful of the mango chunks (leave some for topping) and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth.
- Finally, drain the sago or tapioca pearls and combine with the coconut milk mixture. Transfer the mango coconut sago to small glasses and top with leftover mango chunks.
