Today I’m gonna be teaching you how to cook shagu!

Similar to tapioca pearls, Sago is a starch extracted from the pith of various tropical palm stems and comes with a wide array of health benefits. You can find them at any South Asian grocery store.

Some tips for cooking the shagu:

1. Do NOT wash the shagu before boiling
2. Add your shagu directly into boiling water
3. Shagu cooks best in plain water so do not cook in milk or add sugar before fully cooked.
4. Cook until transluscent
5. Feel free to add a light pinch of salt while boiling to enhance flavor.

I like to cook my shagu separately and top with chilled milk for an easy breakfast.

You can also add milk/evaporated milk/condensed milk to the shagu after draining the water and boil together for a bit to make a creamy shagu milk dessert.

You can watch the full process in this video!

INGREDIENTS  

• 1/2 cup shagu (sago)
• 2 cups water
• 2-3 tsp sugar (or to taste)
• 1 cup milk
• sliced nuts (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS 

Bring your water up to a boil. Add the Shagu straight in, and boil on medium low for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure they’re not sticking to the bottom.

Turn the heat off and let it sit with the lid on for another 5 minutes or so until all the balls look clear.

Skim the white foam off the top with a spoon.

Then strain as much liquid as you want, you can use a strainer. You can also run them under water for a bit in the strainer if you want to get rid of all the starchy water.

Mix in some sugar. Then pour into your serving bowl.

Top with some chilled milk, and some sliced nuts if you’d like. Taste and adjust sugar if needed. And enjoy!