Our desserts are filled with sweet and rich dishes, made with coconut milk and palm sugar. We can never have enough of those.

Compote cooked with coconut milk and palm sugar are called “kolak“. There are many variations of kolak. Some are made with plantain (recipe here) and some are made with cassava, jack fruit, kolang kaling (also known as atap seed) or a mix of everything.

Sago used in this dessert is in the shape of small bowls and orangish or brownish in color. It needs to be soaked for a while and then can be broken into loose pearl-shaped and transparent chewy grains. Amazing, isn’t it?

Kolak with sago is extra thick and rich, great for teatime snack. I love them very cold so I add lots of ice cubes to dilute the thick kolak.

Sago Compote, Kolak Sago

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

50 g sago (alternatively, tapioca pearls can be used)
1 liter water
500 g sweet potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into big chunks
250 g palm sugar (gula merah or gula melaka)
250 ml coconut milk

Directions:

Soak sago with cold water for 30 minutes and drain. If tapioca pearl is used, it needs to be soaked 2 hours minimum

Boil water in a medium-size pot, add sweet potatoes, sago and sugar. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes

Add coconut milk and cook till boiling. Turn off heat, serve warm or cold.

Notes:
If other fruit such as plantain or jackfruit is used, just add them the same time when you add the sweet potatoes.