Kuih Sago Lapis (Steamed Layered Sago Cake)

🧂 Ingredients

• 250 g white sago balls
• cooking oil

  to grease the heat-proof dish
• 8 tbsp gula melaka
• 1 pandan leaf

  washed
• 100 ml water
• orange food colouring
• 10 pandan leaves

  washed
• 100 ml water
• 2.5 tbsp stevia sweetener
• green food colouring
• 1 tsp rose extract
• 2.5 tbsp stevia sweetener
• red food colouring
• 100 g grated fresh coconut
• ¼ tsp salt
• 3 pandan leaves

  washed

Instructions

• 1 Boil the water in a steamer pot.
  
  In a heat proof dish, place 100 g grated fresh coconut, 1/4 tsp salt and 3
  pandan leaves (washed and knotted). Steam in the steamer for 10 minutes.
  
  After steaming, remove the pandan leaves. Let the coconut cool completely.
• 2 Soak 250 g white sago balls in water for at least 30 minutes or when the balls
  cannot expand anymore.
• 3 Drain off the water from the sago balls.
• 4 Divide the sago balls into 3 portions.
• 5 Boil 8 tbsp gula melaka and 1 pandan leaf in 100 ml water. Let the mixture cool
  completely.
  
  Note: Adjust the amount of gula melaka if you prefer less sweet. For this
  recipe, I prefer the gula melaka coconut-y sweetness than the normal sweetener,
  so I added more gula melaka than stevia sweetener for other layers.
• 6 Add the gula melaka mixture and tiny drop of orange food colouring into one
  portion of the sago and mix into a consistent mixture.
• 7 Cut 10 pandan leaves into smaller pieces. Add 100 ml water.
• 8 Blend the pandan juice until the pandan leaves are mostly blended.
• 9 Sieve the pandan juice to remove the pulp.
• 10 Add the Pandan juice and 2.5 tbsp stevia sweetener and tiny drop of green food
  colouring into one portion of the sago and mix into a consistent mixture.
• 11 Add 1 tsp rose extract, a tiny drop of red food colouring and 2.5 tbsp stevia
  sweetener into one portion of the sago and mix into a consistent mixture.
• 12 The 3 flavours of the sago mixture is now ready to steam.
• 13 Grease a heat-proof dish (I used a 5” x 5.5” baking dish) with cooking oil.
• 14 Transfer the red sago mixture into the heat-proof dish and use a spatula to
  level it.
• 15 Boil water in a steamer pot. Cover and steam the red sago over high heat for
  about 7 minutes. This layer will be slightly cooked. Use a rubber spatula to
  gently touch the surface, if it’s no longer liquid, it is ready to add another
  layer.
• 16 Add the green sago mixture on top of the red sago mixture, and use a spatula to
  level it. Cover and steam over high heat for about 7 minutes until it is
  slightly cooked.
• 17 Add the gula melaka sago mixture on top of the green sago mixture, and use a
  spatula to level it. Cover and steam over high heat for 25-30 minutes until the
  sago balls turn transparent.
• 18 Tip: if the water in the steamer pot runs dry, add more water.
• 19 Cool the kuih sago lapis in the dish completely at room temperature for about
  1-2 hours.
  
  After it cools down, unmould by using a spatula to separate the edge and turn
  the baking tray upside down onto a cutting board wrapped with clingwrap (to
  avoid the kuih sticking to the surface).
  
  Note: After steaming, the kuih is very soft. Once cooled, it will become more
  firm.
• 20 Cut the kuih into smaller pieces.
• 21 Coat the kuih with the steamed coconut.
• 22 Best to enjoy within the same day or up to 3 days if kept chilled in the fridge
  in an airtight container.

Nutrition Info