Was this page helpful?
Help improve this recipe for others.
Send this recipe to your inbox.
We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.
Ingredients
Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Main porridge
Flavorings and extras
Method
Prepare sago pearls
Soak/Boil sago
Rinse 1 cup sago pearls under cold water. Bring a pot of water (about 6 cups) to a rapid boil. Add sago pearls and stir immediately to prevent sticking. Boil for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pearls become translucent with a small opaque dot in the center (timing depends on pearl size).
Turn off heat, cover the pot and let sago sit for 10 minutes to finish cooking and become fully translucent. Drain through a fine sieve and rinse briefly under cold running water to remove excess starch. Set aside in a bowl of cold water to keep separate and prevent clumping until ready to add to coconut mixture.
Cook root vegetables
While sago is cooking, peel and cut 1 cup taro and 1 cup sweet potato into 1/2–3/4-inch dice so cubes cook evenly.
In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups water, diced taro and sweet potato, and the tied pandan leaves (or pandan paste). Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 8–10 minutes until the root vegetables are just tender but not falling apart. If using banana or ube, add banana pieces in the last 3–4 minutes and steamed ube at the end to warm through.
Remove and discard pandan leaves. Drain most of the cooking water, reserving about 1/2 cup in the pot with the vegetables to keep some starch for body.
Combine with coconut milk and sweeten
To the pot with the cooked vegetables, add 4 cups coconut milk, 1 tsp salt and 1 cup chopped rock sugar or palm sugar. Stir gently over low–medium heat. Heat just until the sugar fully dissolves and the mixture is hot but not boiling vigorously (boiling can cause coconut milk to separate) — about 5–7 minutes.
Taste and adjust sweetness; add more sugar if desired. Stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract if using.
Finish and assemble
Drain the sago pearls from their cold water and add them into the simmering coconut-vegetable mixture. Stir to combine and warm the pearls through for 1–2 minutes.
If using, fold in the sliced banana and diced ube now. If you want some colorful contrast (traditional Bubur Cha Cha often has pink/orange cubes), portion about 1/2 cup of the coconut mixture into a small bowl and stir in a few drops of food coloring to achieve a pink/orange hue, then return colored portion to the pot and swirl gently to distribute.
Simmer very gently for 2–3 minutes to marry flavors. Do not boil hard. Remove from heat and let cool slightly; the porridge will thicken as it cools.
Serve warm or chilled according to preference. Ladle into bowls and optionally drizzle a little extra coconut milk on top before serving.