How to make mango sago - your summer sweet in 30 mintues
Mango season is coming!
Looking for any new ideas to enjoy mango?
Did you know you can make your favourite mango sago drink from Yum Cha at home in just 30 minutes?
Taiwan is famous for mango, and it has been my favourite fruit since I was a kid. When I moved to Australia, I was so excited that I could also get good mangos here in Australia. I first had mango sago in the Yum Chia restaurant in Sydney. I then fell in love with mango sago! However, sometimes I found it quite disappointing when they made it too sweet, too sour or with no lychee in it. Also, it is expensive to get a small bowl or cup of mango sago from the yum cha restaurants or bubble tea shops. As a foodie, I decided to become mango sago freedom hahaha. This recipe strikes the perfect balance of sweet and sour, with chewy sago, juicy grapefruit, sweet mango chunks, and fragrant lychee in every bite. It is simple, quick, and the ultimate party dessert!
Difficulty: simple
Health feature: packed with Vitamin C
Time: 30 minutes
Serve: 8-10
Looking for new ideas to enjoy mango?
Discover this simple mango sago recipe with me!
Ingredients
A. Mango Sago Base
Mago: 750g
Coconut milk: 400g
Full cream milk: 350g
Condense milk: 50g (adjustable)
Lychee in syrup: 1 can (560g) (adjustable, you can add more as you like or skip)
B. Sago
Water: 150ml per 15g sago (the ratio of water and sago is at least 10:1, you can use more water)
Sago (small Thai tapioca pearls): 15g pp (raw)
C. Assemble
Grapefruit: as many as you like (recommend: 1 medium grapefruit for 2-3 serves)
Milk: as needed
Mango: as many as you like
Tips for choosing ingredients
Mago: You can use both fresh mango and frozen mango. You can buy frozen mango in Woolworths or Coles. If you buy fresh mango, there are some small tips:
Touch: look for a mango that’s slightly soft but not mushy.
Smell: It should have a sweet smell and a yellow-orange colour.
Look: look for a mango with a yellow-orange colour.
Types: most types of mangos taste good. Note that the green mango is not suitable for making mango sago.
Grapefruit: In Australia, you can find grapefruit at Woolworths, Coles and some vegetable shops. Otherwise, you can use orange or pomelo (preferable) instead.
When buying grapefruit or pomelo, choose one that has a strong, pleasant scent.
For orange, I will recommend blood orange (they have good red colour) or navel orange because they are large and easy to peel.
Milk: I highly recommend using full cream milk because it provides milky flavor to the mango sago. Neverthele light milk also works but may not taste as good as full cream milk.
Lychee in syrup: if you are in Australia, you can get lychee in syrup cans at Woolworths, Coles, or Asian supermarkets. You can also use frozen lychees sold in some Woolworths or Coles. Lychees are a crucial ingredient in this mango sago recipe, adding a unique sweetness and floral flavour. If you cannot find lychees, your mango sago will still be tasty, but they will be even better with lychees.
Sago (small Thai tapioca pearls): it can be found in Asian supermarkets or online shops in Australia. They are labelled as sago or Thai tapioca pearls. Sago is very tiny and usually white. Be careful not to confuse them with larger tapioca pearls. The big or medium-sized tapioca pearls are often used in bubble tea. Sago is typically imported from Thailand or China.
Condensed milk: it adds a milky flavour to this mango sago. Instead, you can use milder-flavoured sugar, such as maple syrup, honey, or raw sugar. If you use sugar with a strong aroma, it may change the flavour of the mango sago.
Step-by-step guidance for making mango sago
A. Mango sago base
1. Blend the mango into a smooth puree using a blender or food processor
If you use a food processor, use a flat blade, not a dough blade.
Keep blending until the mango becomes a smooth paste.
2. Add coconut milk, milk and condensed milk one by one. Blend for 30 seconds after adding each ingredient to ensure a smooth and well-combined mixture.
3. Drain the lychee from their syrup and add them into the food processor or blender. Pulse the food processor or blender a few times until the lychees are roughly chopped.
If you use frozen lychee, you can directly add lychee to the food processor or blender.
Pulse the blender or food processor in short bursts to keep the lychees slightly chunky. Watch the mixture carefully to avoid over-processing.
Adding lychees to the mango sago base enhances the overall flavour.
You can save the lychee syrup and add it to this base for extra sweetness.
B. Cook sago
1. Use a high flame to boil the water. Add sago to the pot after the water is boiled.
You do not need to wash sago before cooking it.
When cooking sago, the ratio of water to sago is 10:1. You can use even more water to cook it because the sago will get bigger while you boil it.
2. Keep it boiling for 15 minutes.
Keep the water boiling throughout the cooking process. Stir the sago occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
3. After 15 minutes, drain it with a fine-mashed strainer and rinse it with cold water for 15 seconds.
As shown in the picture, I used a fine-mesh strainer that fit my pot to drain the cooked sago. I did not directly pour boiled water into the sink to avoid damaging the pipe.
A bit of sago can be stocked in your fine-mashed strainer.
C. Prepare grapefruit and mango for assembling
1. Peel the grapefruit, keeping the fruit segments intact.
Make four shallow cuts into the grapefruit peel, forming an asterisk-shape (like this: *). Try not to cut into the fruit segments.
Use a knife to lift and remove the peel gently.
Separate the grapefruit in half gently, just like how you have an orange.
Carefully remove the white pith (the thinner white part of the grapefruit), keeping the delicate fruit segments. Separate the fruit segments into smaller pieces to enjoy with a straw.
2. Dice mango into small pieces for 0.5 cm on each side
This will add extra mango flavour to your drink. If you prefer a smoother texture, you can skip this step.
Smaller pieces of mango will be easier to enjoy with a straw.
Everything is ready. Let’s assemble our mango sago!
D. Assemble and ready to serve!
1. Add all ingredients to the transparent cup one by one in the following sequence and use staw to enjoy it:
As long as each layer entirely covers the previous layer, you can add more ingredients for each layer according to your personal preference.
Sago
Peeled grapefruit
Diced mango
Milk: for the amount of milk, pour the amount that covers the previous three layers, as shown in the pictures below.
Mango sage base
A little bit of grapefruit at the top as decoration
2. Alternatively, you can add all of them directly to a bowl and use a spoon to drink them, like the yum chia places usually do.
3. Tips for keeping and serving
The mango sago base in this recipe is enough for 8-10 servings, depending on the size of your bowls or cups. You can store it in a clean, dry jar with a lid in the fridge for up to a week. If you use a spoon to take it out, make sure the spoon is clean and dry.
For the freshest taste, prepare the other ingredients just before serving.
It is important to cook only the amount of sago you will use in one day. Refrigerated sago can become hard and lose its chewy texture.
This recipe balances sweet and sour flavours in a 55:45 ratio. If you prefer a sweeter taste, add more condensed milk or a bit of lychee syrup.
I hope you enjoy making this delicious mango sago and find my tips helpful. Please share your experience in the comments below! I would love to hear from you.
