Sago and coconut pancakes with melted palm sugar

I am fortunate to have a relatively well stocked kitchen. As such, in between binge-watching extroverts on social media invent spending time alone, I am spending these pandemic times trying to use up little bits and pieces already knocking about in my kitchen. The past couple of days my breakfast goals (please do make fun of me for saying breakfast goals) have been to finish up an open bag of white sago pearls. Aim high.

This recipe is based loosely on a recipe for lempeng sagu in the Malaysian cookbook Johor Palate, which I picked up in Kinokinuya in Penang a couple of years ago.

3w3 ⬅️ that is Noodle’s (cat) contribution.

Sago and coconut pancakes

Lempeng sagu

This is a snack sized portion for one or two people. Feel free to increase or decrease sugar quantities. I’ve listed a few types of sugar you can use. You can also use brown sugar if you don’t have jaggery or palm sugar.

Ingredients

• 60 grams (⅓ cup) sago pearls
• water, for soaking
• 25 grams (about 4 tablespoons) grated fresh coconut
• Scant ¼ teaspoons salt
• 3-4 tablespoons palm sugar or jaggery

Directions/Method

1. Soak the sago pearls in cool water for 5 minutes (no longer). Drain in a mesh sieve, shaking as much excess water out as possible. Tip into a bowl.
2. Add the coconut and salt to the sago and mix to combine.
3. Heat a nonstick saucepan to medium high heat. You can make a few small pancakes or one big pancake. Either way, aim for a thickness of about ½ centimentre (scant ¼ inch). Cook a minute and then sprinkle with sugar. Pop a lid on the pan and leave for a few more minutes, until the pancake bottoms are crispy and browned (a little charring is OK). Do not flip.
4.  You can also make a sandwiched pancake. To do this, make a smaller pancake following the previous step. Sprinkle sugar over and then put a further layer of the sago mixture over top. A pancake/egg ring will help to keep things tidy. After a few minutes, flip the pancake. It’s ready when both sides are crispy and browned.

• Author: Kip Dorrell
• Makes: 4 small pancakes, 2 sandwiched pancakes, or 1-2 large pancakes
• Cuisine: Malaysian