Easy Matcha Strawberry Sago

Bouncy tapioca pearls and fresh strawberries, mixed with creamy coconut milk and matcha flavor. This colorful and sweet summer dessert only requires 5 ingredients!

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A post shared by Christian Ou (@onehappybite)

It is almost Valentine's Day! Although my husband and I don't really celebrate Valentine's Day, I like to find any excuse to make yummy and pretty dessert. This year, I decided to make something that is healthy and refreshing.

I remember eating sago growing up as a dessert. My mom used to make sago with tapioca pearls, coconut milk, sweet condensed milk, and taro or any kind of fruits. I absolutely love it because it is light and not overly sweet. It was the perfect after-meal dessert!

What is Sago?

Sago is a starchy substance extracted from tropical palm trees. It is commonly found in Asian desserts. Sago can be boiled, steamed, or used in desserts, soups, and beverages. Like tapioca, sago are small spherical pearls that become transparent when boiled. Although sago and tapioca are similar in appearance, they are derived from a different plant source. Tapioca pearls are made from tapioca starch, which is extracted from the cassava root.

If you google "Sago," you can find that most sago recipes use tapioca pearls, instead of real sago pearls. That is because sago palms take a long time to harvest, making it very labor intensive and costly. Nowadays, sago pearls are harder to find when compared to tapioca. You can pretty much find tapioca pearls in any Asian grocery store. Due to this reason, I am using tapioca pearls as a substitute in this recipe.

Ingredients

• Tapioca Pearls
• Coconut Milk
• Matcha Powder
• Fresh Strawberries
• Sweetened Condensed milk
• Honey (optional)

How to Make Matcha Strawberry Sago

COOK TAPIOCA PEARLS: Bring 5 cups of water to boil. Once the water boils, reduce the heat to a simmer and add the tapioca pearls. Cook the pearls for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent sticking. After about 15 minutes, the pearls should look translucent. Turn off the heat and cover the pot with a lid. Let the pearls sit for another 10-15 minutes before rinsing the pearls.

STRAIN and RINSE: Once the pearls are cooked and turned translucent, strain them through a fine mesh sieve and rinse off the excess starch with cold running water. Fill a separate large bowl with cold water. After rinsing, transfer the cooked pearls to cold water to cool them down. Set aside.

MIX: While the tapioca pearls are cooling down, prepare the matcha-coconut mixture. Pour 1 can of coconut milk into a saucepan or pot. Heat the coconut milk over medium heat until warm.

Drain the tapioca pearls and add them to coconut milk. Stir to combine.

ADD MATCHA: In a separate small dish or cup, combine matcha powder with hot water. Whisk until no lumps. Add matcha to the coconut sago, stir constantly until smooth and well combined. This is optional, but I like to add some kind of sweetener to the sago. I added ¼ cup of honey in this recipe. You can add honey or sweetened condensed milk to the sago, then mix until incorporated.

Remove the pot from heat and let Matcha Sago cool down. If you like thicker sago, you can simmer it for an additional 5 minutes.

ASSEMBLY: Divide the cooked tapioca pearls and diced strawberries between 4 containers. Here in this recipe I used a 5oz glass cup and I added yogurt for extra topping. Drizzle condensed milk in between each layer. Top with more diced strawberries, and enjoy!

Options for Toppings: Yogurt, coconut jelly, mangoes, pineapple chunks, granola.

Tips

• Wait until the water starts boiling before adding tapioca pearls. Tapioca pearls might melt together if you add them to the water too early.
• Make sure the tapioca pearls are cooked through and translucent. If the pearls are hard or still have white dot in the center, that means they are not ready yet.
• Strain cooked tapioca pearls under cold running water. This can help prevent the pearls from sticking.
• Use ceremonial grade matcha for the best result.
• Whisk matcha powder with hot water first before adding it into the coconut milk. This is the best way to prevent lumps and mix more evenly for that beautiful green color.

Other Asian Dessert Recipes You May Enjoy:

• STRAWBERRY MATCHA PANNA COTTA WITH BROWN SUGAR BOBA
• THE BEST MATCHA MOCHI CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
• MATCHA CHEESECAKE WITH OREO CRUST

If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below and let me know what you think. Make sure you also tag me @onehappybite on Instagram and hashtag it #onehappybite so I can see your creations!

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