A refreshing bowl of mango pomelo sago can cool you down in the heat of summer.
This dessert was invented by Wong Wing-chee, the chef of Lei Garden, a restaurant in Hong Kong.
In the 1980s, when the restaurant decided to open a branch in Singapore, that city's ingredients inspired Wong to create a dessert with mango, pomelo and sago. The result was a sweet soup which reminded the chef of a story from Journey to the West.
In the story, the goddess Guan Yin uses dew from a willow branch to perform miracles such as bringing rain. Thus, the dessert's Chinese name translates to "willow branch dew".
Served cold, this dessert was a big hit in hot and humid Singapore. Its popularity grew in Hong Kong, too. Soon, other restaurants were making mango pomelo sago.
The dessert is made using fresh mangoes, sago pearls, coconut milk, evaporated milk and pomelo flesh. It has a balance between the pomelo's tanginess and the mango's sweetness. With all of its fruity goodness, this treat must have health benefits.
Lots of nutrition
Kathy Ng is a nutritionist. She says mango and pomelo are very nutritious. Mango is rich in vitamin A, and it can boost the immune system. It is also good for eye health. Pomelo is rich in potassium and powerful antioxidants such as vitamin C.
But while the fruit in mango pomelo sago does have health benefits, the dessert is also high in saturated fat. This saturated fat comes from the coconut milk.
"There are 21 grams of saturated fat in every 100 grams of coconut milk," Kathy says. Saturated fat can raise the level of cholesterol in our blood.
Also, the evaporated milk in mango pomelo sago has more fat than normal milk.
"You might want to finish every meal with a bowl of mango pomelo sago, but it's a good idea to have it only once or twice a week," Kathy says.
She recommends a healthier version using soy milk instead of coconut milk. "Soy milk is a good source of protein, and it is low in fat and sugar," she says.
Kathy's recipe: healthy mango pomelo sago
Ingredients (serves 4 people):
• half a cup of sago pearls
• 2 large ripe mangoes, cubed
• 580ml of unsweetened soy milk
• 2 tablespoons of monk fruit sweetener, whisked into 20ml of hot water
• 60 grams of shredded pomelo flesh
Directions:
1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add sago, and simmer for 10 minutes. Tum off the heat, but keep the lid on. Let the sago cook for another 10 minutes until the pearls are clear.
2. Pour the cooked sago in a sieve, and wash them under running tap water. Chill the drained sago in the fridge.
3. In a blender, add the soy milk and three-quarters of the mango, and blend until smooth.
4. Add the cooled sago to the blended mixture. Stir in the dissolved monk fruit sweetener. Place the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes.
5. Divide the desseli into four bowls. Sprinkle the shredded pomelo flesh and the rest of the mango cubes into each serving.
Quick questions
- Why is mango pomelo sago popular in Singapore?
- What are two health benefits of mango?
- Which is healthier: coconut milk, evaporated milk or soy milk?
