Ingredients:

500 grams medium size pearl sago, washed and soaked over night

3 medium size potatoes, diced

5 green chilies, coarsely chopped

½ lemon, squeezed

50 grams fresh cilantro leaves (coriander / dhania leaves), chopped

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

½ cup roasted peanuts, semi coarsely chopped in a food processor

1 tablespoon sugar

5 - 6 tablespoon oil

3 heaped tablespoons grated fresh coconut (optional)

Salt to taste

Method:

1) Briskly rinse sago under water and drain off the water. In a bowl, pour water to just cover the top layer of the sago and let it soak overnight or for about 6-8 hours.

2) Once soaked, sago will appear dry but spongy to touch. Add roasted chopped peanuts, sugar and salt to this, stir and keep it aside.

3) In a pan, heat oil, add cumin seeds and when seeds turn golden brown, add chopped green chilies and diced potatoes. Add some salt just enough for potatoes, mix well and cover pan with a lid to steam soften potatoes whilst turning the potatoes every 3 minutes or so. Test potatoes by cutting through a large cube with your ladle. If it cuts without much force, potatoes are cooked.

4) Add sago-peanut mixture to the pan and keep mixing slowly over medium heat, until, majority of the sago from white opaque changes to be semi translucent. Some sago may still remain opaque. Note: Do not add any water to the cooking process at any stage or else the sago will turn gummy and difficult to handle.

5) Add cilantro leaves, coconut and lemon juice and stir it well for 1 minute.

6) Serve hot

Please refer to pictures below to guide you:

Dry Sago pearls

Rinsing sago pearls briskly without touching with hands (sago is brittle if you try and rub it, it’ll powder at this stage)

Add just enough water to cover the top layer of the sago pearls in a bowl for soaking overnight

Fresh ingredients needed – potatoes, green chilies, cilantro, lemon, etc

Diced potatoes and chopped green chilies

Sago pearls – after overnight soaking

Sago will look and feel dry but spongy to feel

Add peanuts, sugar, salt, mix and keep it aside

Cumin seeds sizzling in hot oil – it’ll smell fragrant as it turns golden brown, be careful not to over brown it

Add green chilies and potato and mix well

Cover pan with lid to cook potatoes quicker by trapping its steam

Potatoes are done!

Add sago – peanut mix to pan of potatoes and stir well. Notice sago uncooked is opaque

Mix well until sago resembles this picture, majority sago has turned translucent and some are opaque

Add chopped cilantro leaves and coconut and lemon juice and mix well

Voila! Happy meal - enjoy it warm! 🙂