I mentioned in passing that day the tapioca that I cooked, bubur-cacar style…
*Archive photo*
…and I did say that it was not very nice because the tapioca was pre-boiled, with salt added and it was not sweet so even with the gravy, it was not all that great.
Well, I did cook something like that once with buah sukun (breadfruit) and sweet potatoes…
*Archive photo*
…and yes, it was very nice even though I did not have any gula Melaka (palm sugar) then.
Well, this time around, somebody asked for the recipe. What? The recipe? Gee!!! I never follow any recipe when I cook – just go ahead by trial and error, following my instincts, and if it turns out nice, then I will cook it again in the exact same way, more or less.
Anyway, since you asked here you are!
First and foremost, boil some water with some pandan leaves in it, knotted…
…and then, add the sweet potatoes…
…peeled and cut into chunks. Do not worry if you get the gum sticking to your knife and peeler and your hand – just rub with a bit of cooking oil and it will all come clean. Bring it back to boil and let it simmer till the sweet potatoes are cooked/soft.
In the meantime, I boiled some sago pearls and drained…
…and rinsed thoroughly to remove the excess starch. Never mind that they are still white – these will be added to the sweet potatoes and the cooking will continue there…and you will have those nice translucent balls eventually when everything is done. There wasn’t much left in the pantry, maybe just a handful so I just cooked it all. I don’t know why I loved these in our local desserts even though they’re virtually tasteless.
I added those pearls to the sweet potatoes and then I poured in a packet of santan (coconut milk)…
I guess many would attest to the fact that the ones freshly-squeezed would be very much nicer but no, I did not bother to do that. Anything that is hassle-free, that’s the one for me! Incidentally, we love this brand – it seems creamier than the others, more lemak (rich) and some have that unpleasant rancid smell, not this one.
I added two spoonfuls of granulated gula Melaka and once it started boiling again, I turned off the heat. You may need to add more of the sugar if you are going to serve yours with shaved ice as it may not be sweet enough when the ice has melted. I did not have that so I just let it chill in the fridge before serving it nice and cold…
You can also add yam if you wish – I am not really a fan of the tuber so I did not bother. Actually, I intended to cook the gula Melaka separately to make the syrup and add only when we wanted to sit down to eat but I got lazy in the end…
Yes, it was very nice, nicer than any that I can get outside here…and yes, I would cook it this same way again.
It’s so easy, really. Wanna try, anybody?
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
I used to cook bubur cha cha with sweet potatoes & yam, never with tapioca or breadfruit. New brand, this packet of coconut milk. Used to buy Ayam brand. Will give this brand a try next time. A wet morning over here again, haizzzzzzz!!!!!
I also used Ayam before, not since I tried this one. I find this one’s nicer. Yes, it’s raining here too, not heavy though…thankfully.
I want to cook bubur cha cha now. Haha. But need to shop for the ingredients first.
A nice dessert to take on cold day. Raining over here. Rain almost every morning. Sigh!!
Don’t complain! Just pray no flood, ok liao. Just read report – they have started burning in Kalimantan, real bad – the haze will come again in no time at all if not for the rain.
Haha Buah Sukun… they call it “Koh Tsu Koon” here… coz seedless (bo hoot) 😛
Trust people to twist and turn people’s names like that. You will never guess what my name became once. 😦
Not if you share it with me 😀
Let it remain a secret, hehehehehe!!!!
Oh, they also have a durian called Koh Tsu Koon in Penang. It’s actually really good, also seedless. I tried when I went to Penang the second time after I heard about it.
Oh dear! The poor guy. 😀
If it’s me who cook it, the outcome, sure will be no eye see…
Mine also, never mind – we’re non-professionals, as long as it tastes nice. See my noodles in tomorrow’s post, presentation, fail but it tasted really good.
That day, my colleague steamed some tapioca and we all ate with sambal. I don’t quite like it, but lady boss suka very much.. Depends individual I think.. But bubur cha-cha with santan and lots of sago, anytime, come, give me 10 bowls!
We do not eat it with sambal. It is not sweet – what is nice is the fragrance and the taste…so we eat it just like that or with something sweet like our nipah palm sugar – we call it attap th’ng or gula apong…or if there is none in the house, we will just dip it in sugar. Would be nice with gula Melaka syrup, I think.
the best old-school cooks always seem to cook it your way – the agak-agak way, without a need for a cookbook with precise measurements. your result looks delicious! though i wonder whether i’d prefer it hot or cold 🙂
I like all desserts cold, so having some shaved ice in it would be just great. Not the same if chilled in the fridge especially overnight as it will thicken probably because of the sago pearls. I’m fine with it though, as long as it is cold but some people may not be all that fond of it like that.
Very nice! I like it cold. I also love sago. Though it is tasteless, somehow it gives a nice mouth-feel to the dessert.
Gee!!!! We certainly are the same in a lot more ways than one. 😉
We do get gula melaka here, but I’ve never heard of granulated gula melaka. I wonder if we get it here too. Must have a look next time I’m in the shops.
It’s like brown sugar, great with tea & evaporated milk. Sure is a whole lot more convenient to use than those hard cylindrical blocks.
Wow I like food like this reminds me of some Filipino snacks that are prepared similar like our Guinataang Halo Halo http://www.angsarap.net/2013/06/27/ginataang-halo-halo-2/ and Ginataang Kamoteng Kahoy http://www.angsarap.net/2014/04/02/ginataang-kamoteng-kahoy-cassava-in-coconut-cream/
Basically along those same lines. We never add bananas to ours though – mostly sweet potatoes and yam but I’ve tried with breadfruit and it was good. I did not really enjoy cassava/tapioca done this way.
Wow.. It certainly looks good and put some blended ice in! Good for a hot day like now !
Yes, shaved ice would be good – I love it cold. I did not bother doing that but it was already nice as it was.