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How to Cook Sago Pearls

Sago pearl is an important ingredient to many desserts and beverages. Although it might seem easy to cook, it is important to understand the proper way of cooking it. Sago pearls takes quite a while to prepare. If you plan to prepare dishes that require this ingredient, make sure that you prepare it ahead of…

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By: Vanjo Merano 10 Comments Updated: 4/25/23

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Sago pearl is an important ingredient to many desserts and beverages. Although it might seem easy to cook, it is important to understand the proper way of cooking it.

How to Cook Sago Pearls

Sago pearls takes quite a while to prepare. If you plan to prepare dishes that require this ingredient, make sure that you prepare it ahead of time. So, how long does it take to cook sago? A straightforward answer will be 1 hour. However, the quality of the sago will not be the best at point. It is likely that the sago will still have an uncooked core.

I usually prepare sago at least 1 day before I will need it. It will take me at least an hour to boil the sago and 3 to 6 hours more to make everything translucent. You see, 1 hour of boiling will cook it completely, but the core will still be opaque. Leaving the sago in the cooking pot for several hours (the fire is turned off at this point and make sure to cover the cooking pot) gives it a chance to absorb more water, which makes the core translucent overtime.

Here is the recipe on how to cook sago. It is a very simple and straightforward process. I think that one important ingredient that I need to note there is time, but I know that you get my point, so I do not need to emphasize it.

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag us on Instagram at @panlasangpinoy or hashtag #panlasangpinoy so we can see your creations!

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How to Make Sago Pearls

Prep: 10 minutes minutes
Cook: 50 minutes minutes
Total: 1 hour hour
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked sago or tapioca pearls
  • 6 cups water
  • 1/2 cup granulated white sugar

Instructions

  • Pour the water in a cooking pot. Let boil.
  • Add-in the sago or tapioca pearls. Cover and boil in medium heat for 30 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes.
  • Put-in the sugar. Stir. Continue to boil for 20 minutes. You can add more water if needed.
  • Turn the heat off. For better results, let the sago or tapioca pearls remain in the cooking pot until it reaches room temperature.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 5g
ยฉ copyright: Vanjo Merano

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Vanjo Merano

Vanjo Merano is the creator of PanlasangPinoy.com. His goal is to introduce Filipino Food and Filipino Cuisine to the rest of the world. This blog was the first step that he took.

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Recipe Rating




  1. Ali says

    Posted on 8/24/18 at 3:58 pm

    How long can these be left in the fridge after cooked?

    Reply
    • mans says

      Posted on 11/4/18 at 12:37 am

      approximately 5 days till they will start to go bad

      Reply
  2. Vanjo Merano says

    Posted on 2/6/18 at 9:22 pm

    It might have something to do with the quality of the sago pearls that you got. I am assuming that you soaked it in tap water under room temperature. If that is the case, try to soak the sago pearls in cold water. An extra step would be to keep it inside the fridge to retain the temp. Once you start to cook, be extra attentive to the consistency of the sago. There are low quality sago that dilutes quickly with warm water -- we do not want that. If that happens, I am afraid that this recipe will not work for you.

    Reply
  3. Maria says

    Posted on 1/10/18 at 2:22 pm

    I followed this recipe but my tapioca pearls are still white in the middle. And how come in this recipe you didnt rinse the tapioca pearls after cooking?? Im confused. Because every other recipe in the internet said to rinse after cooking..

    Reply
    • Vanjo Merano says

      Posted on 1/10/18 at 8:49 pm

      If that is the case, then you will need to boil it longer or soak it in warm water for a few more hours. You can try the other recipes that you are referring to, and see how they fair.

      Reply
  4. Sushmita Silwal says

    Posted on 9/20/16 at 2:04 pm

    You can soak sago atleast half an hour ago. I normally soak and boil with milk and brown sugar for 5 min and close the lid for another 10 minutes Its ready to serve.

    Reply
  5. jam says

    Posted on 1/1/16 at 2:15 pm

    5 stars
    can i use tapioca flour starch instead of glutenous rice flour? for the rice balls of ginataan?
    thanks. i dont have an acess to the glutenous rice anywhere and was wondering if i could just use any rice flour instead or tapioca flour starch..

    Reply
  6. Rowena says

    Posted on 12/30/14 at 3:09 pm

    Can you leave the sago pearls overnight in the pot? Or should it go in the fridge?

    Reply
    • melanie says

      Posted on 5/13/16 at 8:32 am

      yes i would like to know the answer too please!

      Reply
      • i.am.eric says

        Posted on 7/10/16 at 9:04 am

        Place it in a refrigerator. Tapioca may spoil if left unrefrigerated.

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As a huge fan of Filipino food, it is my goal to teach people how to cook it using the simplest way possible. Prepare your taste buds for an ultimate showdown of delectable Filipino dishes! Read more…

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