Taro Coconut Sago (Sai Mai Lo, Tapioca Pearl Sweet Soup)

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped taro
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 3 cups water
• 1/4 cup sugar (or more to taste)
• 1/2 cup small tapioca pearls/sago

This recipe makes approximately 4 servings. You can always make a batch ahead of time and store it in the fridge for a few days.

Instructions

1. First, let’s prepare the taro! In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add the raw chopped taro. Cover and boil on medium high until the taro is soft and a fork can pierce through it, but still maintains its shape, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and drain the water from the cooked taro.
2. Now, in a large saucepan, add coconut milk, water, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil for about 3 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium low to let the mixture simmer.
3. Fill a separate pot with water and boil on high heat. Then, add the small tapioca pearls until the pearls become almost translucent, approximately for 10-15 minutes. Then, cool the pearls in cold water and drain.
4. Add the cooked taro and drained tapioca pearls to the coconut milk mixture. Mix evenly and taste. You’re done!

Taro Coconut Sago (Sai Mai Lo, Tapioca Pearl Sweet Soup) is another one of my mom’s classic recipes that I would have after dinner for dessert, but also a classic that we would order when going out for dim sum. Taro is one of my favorite ingredients that is super versatile in both savory and sweet dishes. This recipe is definitely one of the easier ones, but is so rewarding and easy to make for a group. Each spoonful has the perfect combination of creamy coconut with the fun texture of the sago and soft, slight sweet taro that has soaked up the coconut flavor. Let me know if you try out my recipe for this Taro Coconut Sago (Sai Mai Lo, Tapioca Pearl Sweet Soup) in the comments below!