DIVINE Mangoes & Cream Sago Pudding

This mangoes and cream sago pudding is a riff on the classic mango Weiss bar! This easy sago dessert is made with fresh or frozen mangoes and tastes exactly like the ice cream bar-except of course in a pudding form. Not only this but there's a conventional and Thermomix recipe for this mango pudding too. This is a pushy recipe Dear Reader!

This dessert is perfect for warmer weather with in season mango but works really well with frozen fruit too. This is Mr NQN's favourite dessert because it combines his love of mango and tastes like his favourite ice cream (the Weiss mangoes and cream bar). In fact he ate two large bowls of this and would have eaten a third if I hadn't stopped him.

How To Make Easy Sago:

Making sago is easy on the stovetop and in the Thermomix.

You don't need to pre-soak the sago like the packet says.

The most important thing is to use a big pot - using too small a pot means that the sago may stick to the bottom and it's hard to scrub off. I've specified that the pot needs to hold at least 3 litres/6.3pints for the amount of sago below.

Once the sago boils for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow it to swell for 10-15 minutes.

If the sago has a small white dot in the centre, it isn't yet fully cooked. Wait a few minutes and allow it to swell for a bit more. But really if its only a few of them with the white centres then the fruit puree will soak into them.

With the Thermomix all you have to do is place it in the simmer basket and cook. You can also then make the puree in the Thermomix afterwards.

Flavour Variations on Mango Sago:

Replace 50g/1.7ozs of the mango with passion fruit pulp for a delicious mango passionfruit sago

Easily make this vegan by replacing the cream with coconut milk

Replace the mango with raspberries and combine with coconut milk

In Singapore, Malaysia and China they use a bit of pomelo in their mango sago and it's delicious!

Dear Readers this week we had our first trick or treaters! While I grew up in a house my mother is religious so she forbade any sort of Halloween decorations so we never got trick or treaters (nor was it really a thing when I was growing up). This year I decorated our house with faux spiders and cobwebs and Mr NQN took out his homemade coffin decoration (made from pallet boards) and set up a motion detector so that we were playing scary music from a speaker whenever someone walked up to our house.

As we are headed overseas we didn't want to hand out the candy (because COVID) so we left it in a bowl with a sign asking people to take one. We weren't sure if there would be may trick or treaters because when we looked the night before not a lot of houses had decorations but we were prepared with bags of fun size chocolates and individually wrapped lollies. Mr NQN told me of a colleague of his in Maui who buys around $600 worth of candy for trick or treaters!

At 4 o'clock the doorbell chimed. It was a bunch of older kids. "Trick or treat!" they said. We didn't even have the candy out yet so I quickly opened up the bags and handed it over to them. "They've got the good stuff here!!" one kid stage-whispered excitedly to his friend. They came back 5 times. Then around 5-7pm came the little kids with their parents. They were all so adorable but since we weren't at the door our supply got rapidly plundered. Mr NQN thinks it was by the older kids taking fistfuls as we heard the parents telling their little ones to take one piece and say thank you.

Mr NQN took the dogs out for a walk and saw that our normally quiet, leafy street was the busiest in the area as everyone must have put up their Halloween decorations last minute. It got to the point where I was rummaging through my pantry for individually wrapped treats.

Apple? OMG no, we don't want to be that house that gives healthy snacks.

Finnish cloudberry liqueur chocolates? No! Drunk kids are bad m'kay.

Manuka honey lozenges? LOL we would definitely be called the witch lady house.

Pickle flavoured potato chips? No way they’re mine. Also see witch lady house comment above.

I finally found a bag of Halloween chocolate that I was eating for myself and popped that in the bowl and by the end nothing was left and we loved having our first trick and treaters!

So tell me Dear Reader, do you like sago? Did you have any trick or treaters this year?

Mangoes & Cream Sago Pudding

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes plus 15 minutes resting time

Serves: 8

• 100g/3.5ozs sago pearls
• 120g/4ozs. mango chunks
• 120g/4ozs caster or superfine sugar
• 100ml/3.5ozs. cream
• 80ml/2.8flozs orange juice
• 250g/8.8ozs mango chunks extra

Step 1 - Put a large pot of water onto boil (at least 3 litres/6.3pints capacity). When it is boiling add the sago and simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally so that it doesn't catch. When the 10 minutes is up and the water is a bit cloudy, turn the heat off and place the lid on and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Then empty into a sieve and drain under cold running water.

Step 2 - While the sago is cooking you can make the rest. Puree the first lot of mango chunks with the sugar, cream and orange juice and place in a large bowl. When the sago is cold and fully drained mix this into the mango puree. Add the mango chunks and scoop into serving glasses.

Thermomix directions: Pour 1500ml/3pints of water into the Thermomix and set to 10 minutes, 100C, speed 1. Place the sago into the simmer basket and lower into the Thermomix. Set to 10 minutes/100C/Speed #2. Cool for 15 minutes. Remove basket and rinse under cold running water. Place the first lot of mango chunks with the sugar, cream and orange juice in the Thermomix and set to 30 seconds, speed #5 and puree. Place in a large bowl. When the sago is cold and fully drained mix this into the mango puree. Add the mango chunks and scoop into serving glasses.