When I was a teenager I was obsessed with magazines. My obsession started when I had to do a project on magazines during High School which necessitated my father buying me one and I was hooked on them every since.My preference was for fashion magazines like Cleo, Cosmopolitan and Dolly. There I was standing in the queue one morning before school trying to buy Dolly magazine when a man in the queue looked down at the cover and said, not unkindly, “Wouldn’t you like to look like her?”.
I paused and looked down at the cover. No offence to supermodel Sonia Klein but I actually didn’t want to look like her. Truth be told I wanted to look like Wonder Woman. But the point was there weren’t many people around on magazine covers and on tv that looked like me back then. In fact I can remember very few indeed. I just smiled at him but the thought niggled at me on the ride to school. I suppose he thought that everyone wanted to look like a model but the chances of me turning into a 6 foot tall freckled blonde were entirely remote-we’re talking alien abduction from a crowded shopping centre likely. Now when I turn on the television there there are lots of people that do look like me and in newspaper and magazines (although perhaps not the covers! 
)
Things are also very different in terms of food. When I was growing up there was simply Chinese and Italian food but now we have a plethora of different cuisines and Asian cuisine seems particularly popular in Australia. Items such as palm sugar are now easily available at the supermarket as are all sorts of unusual items that would have only been available at speciality shops a couple of decades ago.
The palm sugar caramel recipe is a simple one given to us from the chef Wayan at Villa Sungai. It was so moreishly good that I found myself quietly licking the little bowl clean like a cat. I couldn’t let a drop go to waste and I pleaded for the recipe which is a wonderful three ingredients long. It’s wonderfully easy to make and is ideal to give as gifts-in fact I gave some away to friends over Christmas. It is delicious poured over ice cream or to accompany crepes or pancakes which is how we first ate it. The sago pearls are another way to serve them in an Asian style dessert. Sago is best cooked in a very large pot of water so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Adding a pinch of salt to the water is another hint I learned from a cooking class which helps the sago cook all the way through. Just promise me you’ll make this caramel for yourself for either a Slothful Sunday pancake brunch or to eat by the spoonful.
So tell me Dear Reader, who did you want to look like when you grew up?
P.S. I still don’t want to look like Sonia Klein who went on to get married to an Wall Street hedge fund billionaire and philanthropist Paul Tudor Jones although I would love her shoe allowance 
Coconut Sago Pearls With Palm Sugar Caramel
For palm sugar caramel
- 200g/7 ozs. palm sugar
- 400ml cream
- 80g/3 ozs. butter
For sago pearls
- 375g packet sago
- 100ml/3.5fl ozs. coconut milk
1. Make the palm sugar caramel by combining all of the ingredients in a small saucepan stirring constantly. When the sugar has melted boil for 5 minutes until thickened and then cool. Strain through a sieve and keep aside.
2. Meanwhile while this is cooking, make the sago pearls. Put a very large pot of water to the boil and add a fat pinch of salt (this is to help the sago cook all the way through). Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the balls become translucent stirring to ensure that it doesn’t stick to the base of the pot (the bigger the pot the better for this). When done, drain in a sieve under cold running water. Set aside to cool. If you are in a hurry you can put it in a metal bowl sitting within another metal bowl full of ice to cool it down quickly.
3. Mix the coconut milk and about 1 -1.5 cups of the palm sugar caramel depending on how sweet you like it and serve chilled.
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62 Comments | Add your own
Mmm… I cannot WAIT to try this!
This looks delicious, Lorraine! I love tapioca-based dessert, just can’t resist its chewy texture…! I had to laugh when I read that you wanted to look like Wonder Woman…;)!! You’re hilarious!
I remember when i was growing up, I didn’t really want to be anyone else, I just wanted to be a florist, and continually hacked apart my mother’s beautiful garden, creating centrepieces for the family table. I still admire today, all the beautiful floral arrangements at David Jones when they have their floral extravaganza
Wow Lorraine I just love your presentation of this – and also love that you wanted to be wonder woman not a dolly model.
Thanks…I was just looking for a sweet recipe for to days lunch…And as we only returned from Bali last this will be perfect…
You would make a fabulous Wonder Woman, Lorraine! This dessert is beautiful. I love these flavours. Mum hates sago and rice puddings, so this is something we never grew up on. But I have developed a real taste for it now, I love it! Thanks for this beautiful recipe. When I was younger I thought Claudia Schiffer was the epitome of beauty
Heidi xo
Yum! I have all these ingredients so will make this one. Any idea how long the palm sugar caramel keeps for?
Don’t think I wanted to look like anyone really.
I’ve never really favourved magazines unless they have to do with food. Gourmet Traveller seems to be my rag of choice these days.
The recipe looks delicious!
This is one of the very few desserts I like – had it first home-cooked in Muar, Malaysia, which is prob not a strange name to you. Love the texture and you can control the sweetness.
I had three role models growing up: Ingrid Bergmann, Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn. I SO wished I could be ‘ladylike’ as they portrayed – it wasn’t the looks I envied, it was my over-the-top lively behaviour! Only much later did I find out ALL three of them were very over-the-top too!
ohhh those look soo good! I think I’ve tried a few desserts like that except I didn’t know they were officially known as “sago”. I think I wanted to look like SAILOR MOON! errr anyone else here had that wish?
You know I was obsessed with fashion magazines growing up too and now I’m obsessed with food ones hehe. How things change. I am very glad there’s more diversity than before but there’s also still a lot of room for improvement. Your sago pearls with caramel look and sound amazing, Lorraine!
yum! I looove sago. looks so easy and delicious.. my favorite
I have been wondering what else I could use palm sugar for…will be making this soon.
I never thought about looking different when I was growing up. I bought Dolly too and I think I wished I was prettier but not to be entirely different. My real wish was to be a lawyer like the female lawyer on The Rockford Files but I outgrew that idea.
I havent made it as yet, but I am will prepare it as it looks a very interesting an amizing dessert to make.
I have some sago in my cupboard that I’ve been planning to use somehow. The palm sugar caramel sounds absolutely divine! I’m sure I’d never get tired of it.
I love tapioca. A delightful dessert!
Cheers,
Rosa
You should add a little pandan leaves into the mixture. I tell you it tastes better!
Looks great! I have some palm sugar, may have to make use of it. I’ve never made a sago pudding before.
When I was young I wanted to look like a spice girl!
A slimmer and taller version of myself!!
Tried something similar to this at a food festival created by the team at Sailor’s Thai , they added lychee and mango, very delicious.
This looks very delicious and I will definitely be trying it. I never wanted to look like someone else either, maybe there was no point wishing for something that was never going to happen? Or maybe I was too busy putting my imagination to use on all the actors and singers I had crushes on as a teenager! Not that meeting any of them was likely either!
I love anything with sago and this looks awesome
love the palm sugar caramel!
Thank you for this – my Nanna used to make sago and rice puddings when I was growing up, so I loved them, but could never convince my children about sago. The palm sugar is a wonderful addition!
Can’t think of anyone I wanted to look like. There were plenty whose personalities I would have liked.
OK, can I just say that only a man would say something like that to a woman holding a magazine?!? LOL And a clueless man at that. Sure, he doesn’t tell YOU that you look wonderful. He assumes you want to look like another woman instead. Good grief. That is just soooo wrong…..
This looks like a fabulous dessert – aplm sugar caramel sounds very moreish. Growing up, I wanted to look like Elizabeth Montgomery or Claudia Schiffer.
Yuuuum!! I love sago and coconut – it’s one of my favourite desserts! I think we all wanted to look like Lynda Carter..
I don’t remember anyone in particular I wanted to look like, though I remember thinking Lara Cox was gorgeous, back when I was a tween who watched Heartbreak High religiously
Love this twist on sago! I’ve only cooked sago a few times, and always forget how I love the texture!
I’m definitely bookmarking this! It looks like it would go with everything!
Thanks for the memories of going to the library religiously just to read Dolly and Cleo.
Who wouldn’t love her shoe allowance!!! I remember that Dolly cover (good lord I feel old).
Dessert looks yummy. I will admit I was a ‘dolly’ girl too and I would have bought that particular magazine edition for the slim chance to win a close encounter with ‘sting’. Happy Easter everyone.
I want to make this right now. The only thing is, I don’t have palm sugar at home. This looks so yummy. I’ve never had sago on it’s own though. The sago desserts that I have had so far are with honey dew balls and mango. I would suppose this sago will go well with honeydew and mango too!
Comic books were my inspiration when young! I totally agree with you about how wonderful the food scene has become with the addition of influences from all over the world! Great recipe, will definitely be adding it to my collection!
I wanted to be Amy Lee of Evanescence. I have her hair colour and skin tone, and we share a love of corsets (and I’ve performed every song she’s ever released as a single on stage, lol), but that’s about it.
I love sago, thanks for a new way to cook it!
Probably Grace Kelly, my mother looked a little like her. I looked a bit like Debbie Reynolds, which is funny because I was named after her. I have never tried sago – I must.
Who do I want to look like? Hmmm… ideally I’d like to look like the best version of myself, but if I had to choose someone, I think it would be Vivien Leigh (Scarlett O’Harra).
Beautiful desert. I normally don’t go for this type of texture in desert, but being that is coconut (a big favourite) I am willing to try
*kisses* HH
Ohhh, this looks Delish
i adore coconut! & of course, caramel & Everything in between…..
There is no hesitation: I’d want to look like Angelina Jolie…especially since she is so much more than beauty. You know what i mean? xxx
Palm sugar caramel? Yes, please. I wonder what it would taste like with a touch of salt in it? Salted palm sugar caramel. I might have just drooled…
Tried this dish yesterday, Easter Sunday, and it was delicious. Probably a little bit indulgent on a day when lots of other food and chocolate was floating around too. Oh well, back to the treadmill. It was worth it!
Hi Louise-YAY! I’m so glad that you liked it. Yes you’re right, quite indulgent indeed but so glad that you thought that it was worth it
Yum Lorraine, I love making this, will try your version of it too! Mmmmmm…
Sounds so good! I’ll definitely be trying this one soon
I don’t know that I wanted to look exactly like her, but I always thought that Alison Brae who was regularly in Dolly when I was reading it was just gorgeous.
This is a dessert I’m sure I could love. I’ll have to look for palm sugar. Growing up I wanted to be Marsha Marsha Marsha though someone told me I looked like Jan. xoxo Mum
That octopus paired with the potato salad sounds delightful! My dad is from Greece so we eat octopus from time to time, I can imagine how awesome it must taste with a side of creamy herbed potato salad. Talk about delicious!
This is too simple to be so delicious! Sago and palm sugar is one of my favourites but I normally take the slack way out and buy it in jars. I will make this tomorrow, but not let anyone see how easy it is!
Gosh, Lorraine. You’re so smokin’ hot, you don’t need to look like anyone else. You ask a loaded question, there. I wouldn’t mind looking like a younger version of myself. When I was 10, I wanted to look like Mick Jagger.But that’s okay, I’m so over it.There was a spell when I thought that Nastasha Kinski and Michelle Pfiffer had it made. And I liked Clara Bow, the “IT” girl.You are full of surprises.Wonder Wombat never crossed my mind as having looks to be envied. She is pretty, though. At this stage of my life, I would be happy to never look like Billy Barty.
Oh yum! I have a whole packet of palm sugar in my cupboard and had no idea what to do with it. Definitely making this, I think with pancakes
Looks great! I just wanted to be slimmer…lol. With all the food around me, that never happened!
HI Linda-I love it-Wonder Wombat! That’s brilliant
DELICIOUS! I’ve just made some ondeh ondeh and literally right now my fingers smell like gula melaka (palm sugar). I love the earthy sweetness it gives, as opposed to white sugar. And who doesn’t love a little sago?
First, totally love the palm sugar and will make this the minute I get back to Sydney.
I remember Dolly magazine (remember the days when it was only nobody models who graced the covers?). I wanted to look like Wonder Woman too (I mean, who wouldn’t?). If she wasn’t an option then Jacklyn Smith from Charlie’s Angels. Needless to say, my only resemblance to either is my dark hair, and these days it’s only post-hair dresser when that is even true. Sigh.
alas my one purchase of palm sugar was eaten by the ants – must get some more!
but I did cook with buckwheat over easter and my dad said it was like that stuff that was like fish eggs – I thought he meant caviar but he meant sago – I never eat the stuff but suspect some caramel sauce would be a great way to try it
don’t fancy being married to a wall street type but I remember that dolly cover
for a while, i misguidedly wanted to look like one of the ‘women’ from the tv show american gladiators. i shudder to recall…
lovely treat!
farrah, olivia or agnetha. sigh!
Palm sugar caramel, sounds divine…you gorgeous wonder woman!
I looooove sago pudding! I’m happy to see how simple it is to make – thank you!
Palm sugar caramel… yum! I never wanted to look like anyone when I grew up. And still don’t….
This looks delicious and so simple! I am definitely going to make this one.
Mmmm palm sugar caramel sounds wonderful! And what an easy and delicious dessert! YUMMO!
Yum what a lovely desert I will definitely make it. I didn’t want to look like anyone in particular, but I did want to have the elegance of Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor.
‘Looks’ magazine was my one of choice and they were big on supermodels. I was devastated when I realised with my 5 foot mother and 5’5 foot father it was unlikely that I would end up looking like Cindy Crawford. I love sago with palm sugar and coconut cream – dairy free delish! sadly palm sugar caramel wouldn’t be that great for me
Combining two great loves – caramel and palm sugar. I bought some sago ages ago but didn’t know how to serve it.
My first mag was girlfriend, it was $2.70 and had Nathan Harvey on the cover. Anyone remember him? Haha!
Oooh, I love sago but have never cooked with it before. Definitely will have to now – this sounds excellent!
Do you use normal butter or unsalted butter? Thickened cream or cooking cream? Does it matter? Looks devine.
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