Sago Porridge

A plain invalid-and-nursery porridge from the era when sago was a pantry staple. The whole thing rests on getting the pearls fully translucent without letting them collapse into glue.

• What sago isTrue sago is starch extracted from the pith of the sago palm, sold as small dried pearls. Much of what is sold as pearl 'sago' in the West is in fact tapioca pearl, made from cassava; it behaves much the same here, though tapioca tends to go stickier.
• The hinge: cook to translucentThe pearls are done when the last white speck at the centre has gone and they are clear all through. Pull them off early and the middles are chalky; boil hard past that point and the starch releases and the pot turns to paste. Low simmer, occasional stir, lid off.
• Ratio and timingTwo tablespoons per pint of water is roughly 25 g to 570 ml, a thin porridge by modern taste. Small pearls take about 15-20 minutes at a bare simmer; large pearls can take 30 or more, and benefit from a 20-minute soak in cold water first.
• Why you wash itDried pearls carry loose surface starch, and rinsing it off in cold water helps keep the finished porridge from being needlessly cloudy and gluey.
• Savoury, not sweetPepper and salt rather than sugar gives a plain, bland dish of the kind often served to the sick, though sweetened versions were at least as common. If you want it as a breakfast dish, sugar, a little salt and a scrape of nutmeg is the usual alternative treatment.
• The cold milkThe recipe has the milk served alongside rather than cooked in, so it is poured over at the table and each eater takes as much or as little as wanted.
• YieldA pint of water gives two modest bowls. It thickens considerably as it stands and will set almost solid in the fridge; loosen with hot water or milk when reheating.