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Sago Soup (Hawaiian Recipe)
Wash 1/4 cup pearl sago through several cold waters; cook slowly in 1 quart water till the sago is transparent; add a pinch of salt, a 2-inch piece stick cinnamon, 1/2 cup seeded and chopped raisins; and just before serving 1/2 pint of fruit juice and 2 tablespoonfuls sugar.
A sweet fruit soup thickened with sago, served in the older manner as a first course or a light supper dish. The whole thing hinges on cooking the pearls until they are genuinely clear, with no white core left.
- Pearl sagoSago is starch extracted from the pith of the sago palm, sold as small hard pearls. Small pearl tapioca is the usual substitute and behaves almost identically, though it thickens a little more; do not use instant or minute tapioca, which dissolves into paste.
- TimingThe recipe gives no clock time, only the visual cue. Depending on the size of the pearls, reckon on anywhere from about 20 minutes to the better part of an hour at a bare simmer. Stir now and then, since sago sinks and sticks; a heavy pan helps.
- Half a pint of juiceThat is one cup. The recipe specifies only 'fruit juice'; any tart juice works. Add it off the boil, as prolonged heat dulls fresh fruit flavour.
- SugarTwo tablespoons is right for a sharp juice and too little for a sweet one. Add it with the juice and taste, since the raisins contribute sweetness of their own.
- ConsistencyA quart of water to a quarter cup of sago gives a thin, broth-like soup that thickens noticeably as it cools and again overnight. Thin with a little water or juice when reheating.
- CinnamonFish the stick out before serving. Two inches in a quart is mild; ground cinnamon is not a good swap here, as it clouds what should be a clear soup.
- Yield and servingAbout five cups, or four modest servings. Sweet sago and fruit soups of this type were served either hot or well chilled, and it takes chilling well.