I have always thought of sago to be unfit for desserts, having eaten it only in savoury meals all my life. I always imagined sago-themed desserts would be a starchy mess with that “packaged” smell and taste. Here was a chance to prove me wrong, ready-made! I happened to have coconut milk and basil leaves, both of which happen to go extremely well with each other.

Once the sago was soaked, I cooked it in some coconut milk, flavoured with basil leaves and sugar. Unlike most puddings, this one does not need any corn flour, since the starch from the sago pearls is already enough to do so. The pudding needed to be cooled only for about 15 minutes, before being garnished with some mango cubes and mango jelly. The sago gives an extremely interesting mouthfeel while the basil and mango help to accentuate some natural sweetness.

Coconut, sago, mango.

Makes 4 servings:

• 1/2 cup sago
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Basil leaves
• Mango cubes
• Mango jelly

Soak the sago in cool water for about 30 minutes. Combine the coconut milk, whole milk and basil leaves and cook on a medium flame for about 5-7 minutes. Add the soaked sago and cook on a low flame until the sago is soft and completely cooked. Remove the basil leaves and divide the pudding into 4 ramekins. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes. Garnish with mango cubes and jelly.