Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat

Cantonese Coconut Red Bean Sago

椰汁紅豆西米露

Cantonese Coconut Red Bean Sago — finished dish

Total time: 330 min
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 6 servings

Recipe overview

Simmer red adzuki beans until soft, cook tiny sago pearls separately, then combine them in a creamy coconut dessert soup.

01

Ingredients

Main ingredients

200 g Dried red adzuki beans
80 g Small sago pearls
250 ml Coconut milk
1.2 L for beans, about 1 L for sago, plus soaking and rinsing water Fresh water

Sweetening

80 g, adjust to taste Rock sugar

Cantonese Coconut Red Bean Sago — ingredients

02

Tools

Large bowl
Fine sieve
Two saucepans
Lid
Measuring jug
Wooden spoon
Ladle
Small bowls

Cantonese Coconut Red Bean Sago — tools

03

Steps

Cantonese Coconut Red Bean Sago — Sort beans

Step 1

Sort beans

Spread the dried beans and remove any tiny stones or damaged beans.

Cantonese Coconut Red Bean Sago — Rinse beans

Step 2

Rinse beans

Rinse the red beans in a fine sieve under clean water.

Cantonese Coconut Red Bean Sago — Soak in fridge

Step 3

Soak in fridge

Cover the beans generously with water in a large bowl; cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Cantonese Coconut Red Bean Sago — Drain beans

Step 4

Drain beans

Discard the soaking water and drain the beans.

Cantonese Coconut Red Bean Sago — Add fresh water

Step 5

Add fresh water

Put beans in a saucepan with 1.2 L fresh water and bring to a gentle boil.

Cantonese Coconut Red Bean Sago — Simmer until soft

Step 6

Simmer until soft

Simmer with the lid slightly ajar for about 50–60 minutes, stirring sometimes and checking the water, until soft.

Cantonese Coconut Red Bean Sago — Check tenderness

Step 7

Check tenderness

Press one bean with a spoon; continue simmering if it does not crush easily.

Cantonese Coconut Red Bean Sago — Cook sago separately

Step 8

Cook sago separately

Boil about 1 L water in another pan; sprinkle in small sago pearls, stir gently and cook about 15–20 minutes.

Cantonese Coconut Red Bean Sago — Rest until clear

Step 9

Rest until clear

Turn off heat, cover and rest about 10 minutes until the sago is fully translucent with no hard white centre.

Cantonese Coconut Red Bean Sago — Drain and rinse

Step 10

Drain and rinse

Drain sago in a fine sieve and briefly rinse off surface starch with clean water.

Cantonese Coconut Red Bean Sago — Add sugar and coconut

Step 11

Add sugar and coconut

Once beans are soft, stir in rock sugar until dissolved. Add coconut milk and heat gently about 5 minutes; do not boil hard.

Cantonese Coconut Red Bean Sago — Combine and serve

Step 12

Combine and serve

Stir translucent sago into the coconut red beans and ladle into bowls. Serve warm, or cool and refrigerate promptly if serving cold.

Common mistakes

Adding sugar before beans soften can slow softening. Sago with a hard white core is not ready to serve.

Tips

Sweeten only after the beans soften. Cook sago in a separate pan until clear, then drain before mixing. Heat coconut milk gently.