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I was in the mood to play with an ingredient I don't normally use...this lead me to cruising through the aisles of my local grocer last night waiting for something to catch my eye. Lo and behold, the humble sago. Ok maybe not so humble just not so often used?
Allow me to clarify my thought process....
Sago is quite commonly used in Asian cuisines (hello bubble cup and sago puddings) or made into flour where it can be used in baked/fried products, as a thickener or gelling agent.
I couldn't remember the last time I had sago, save for the one honeydew bubble cup in the last month.
I decided it was going to be my next experimental ingredient.
Fast forward to Thursday morning, pot of water is boiling and sago is expanding. I may have gotten a little excited with just how much it expands. Then it was up to flavouring, now sago has virtually no flavour of its own and has a very squishy, soft almost gummy texture so it takes to any flavouring rather well. After searching in the cool room I had a basket of ripe oranges and plenty of berries.......
Naturally that lead to orange and mixed berry sago puddings. I absolutely adore oranges so infusing the pearls with fresh orange juice producing a vivid colour felt kind of natural. Out comes a pan loaded with berries, a squeeze of lemon juice and a touch of maple syrup to make a delicious berry topping. Into the display fridge it goes...but I didn't feel quite done yet.
Out comes yet another pan filled with coconut milk, sago pearls and the zest of an orange...ok I may have been a little hungry at the time, no shame in that. Hunger creates some wonderful breakfast/brunch ideas.
Here's what that hunger produced...
Chilled sago pudding topped with fresh fruit and seeds.
It was light, cool, filling and oh so satisfying. In my mind this would be an ideal summer breakfast as it's just a bit more filling than your standard smoothie bowl sans granola. Naturally gluten free and made with coconut milk it becomes a bowl of delicious, creamy goodness that is incidentally, vegan.
So whilst tucking into my bowl of sago I did a bit of research, here is what my solid 15 minutes of googling informed me:
Sago (also known as Sabudana) is a high energy food due to its high carbohydrate content, so if you are quite an active person or are looking to fix a little fatigue, a bowl of soaked sago may be the way to go.
Regular consumption of sabudana can help lower blood pressure due to its potassium content.
Sago is good for maintaining a healthy digestive system and metabolism.
Due to it containing Calcium, Vitamin K and iron, sago can help maintain a healthy skeletal system.
Sago also contains folic acid and vitamin B which is great for expectant mothers as it supports healthy foetal development.
There you have it, my two cents on Sago. If you would like to give it a try, come in and grab a takeaway sago pudding and start your day off great.
Disclaimer:
I am not a dietician and cannot provide medical advice or advise you on the diet you should consume, I am simply a chef that likes to play around with interesting ingredients and do some research on them to create tasty, nutritious breakfasts for people to enjoy at Euphoria Café & Wellness Centre, Camberwell.
References:
http://www.indiatimes.com/health/tips-tricks/health-benefits-of-tapioca-sabudana-242682.html
http://www.onlymyhealth.com/health-slideshow/surprising-health-benefits-of-sabudana-or-tapioca-1416389096.html
https://beautyhealthtips.in/health-benefits-eating-sago/
https://www.thealthbenefitsof.com/health-benefits-of-sabudana/