Bubur Cha-Cha (Yam Treat)

This is a popular Nonya dessert that appears more and more in cafes in the more Metropolitan cities in the United States. It is a medley of sweet potatoes, yam and a myriad of colored sago balls in a coconut base soup. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 can of coconut milk

1 med sweet potato (300 g) skinned and diced

1 med yam (300g) skinned and diced

1 tsp salt

Syrup

1 cup (225 ml) water

6 screwpine (pandan) leaves knotted

5 oz sugar (I used rock sugar)

Sago Flour Triangles (if you cannot buy the premade sago balls from Vietnamese grocer)

11oz (300g) Sago Flour

1/2 tsp Borax (tingkal)

1 cup (225ml) boiling water

Red/green/blue food coloring

4 tbs sugar

Method:

Add 2 1/2 cups water to the can coconut, set aside.

Rinse and drain sweet potatoes and steam for 5-7 mins until cooked. Set aside.

Steam yam cubes for 5-7 mins until cooked. Set aside.

Make the syrup. Bring the 1 cup of water to boil. Add the screwpine leaves and sugar and boil for 10 mins. Strain syrup into a bowl and set aside.

To make sago flour triangles:

I bought the sago balls which come in a package from the Vietnamese/Chinese grocery store. They are used for the popular Bubble Tea. They come in packages of white, black or multi color. If you do not have these, then try making the triangles using the recipe below.

Sift together sago flour and borax. Then stir in the boiling water.

Using your hands, knead to form firm smooth dough.

Divide dough into four parts. Leave one part uncolored, and color the other 3 portions. Knead them separately to work in the color.

Roll each part into thin long strips of about 1 cm in diameter. Use a pair of scissors and cut each strip into small triangles.

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Place the sago triangles in the boiling water, stirring to keep them from sticking. When they float, scoop them out quickly and plunge into a basin of cold water for 10 mins. Drain and place flour triangles in a bowl. Add 4 tbs sugar and mix to keep the cooked sago triangles separated.

To prepare the coconut milk:

In a saucepan, combine the syrup and coconut milk and bring to boil over low heat stirring constantly. Add salt and stir well. Remove from the heat and keep stirring for a while to prevent the mixture from curdling and turning oily.

To serve:

Place a tablespoonful each of cooked sweet potatoes, yam and sago triangles in a small bowl. Add coconut milk to fill the bowl. Serve hot or cold.