Pandan gives coconut milk a warm, gently vanilla-like fragrance. Tiny pearls and young coconut provide contrasting textures.
At a glance
- Preparation: 10 minutes
- Cooking: 20 minutes
- Chilling: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 60 g small pale sago or tapioca pearls
- plenty of water for boiling
- 300 ml coconut milk
- 150 ml water
- 40–60 g sugar
- 1 small pinch salt
- 2–3 fresh or frozen pandan leaves
- or 1/2 tsp pandan extract, then adjust carefully
- 100 g young coconut flesh or coconut jelly, optional
Method
- Cook the pearls according to the packet, rinse cold and drain.
- Wash and knot the pandan leaves.
- Warm coconut milk, water, sugar, salt and pandan gently for 8–10 minutes without a hard boil.
- Remove the leaves. When using extract, add a small amount now.
- Fold in the pearls and optional young coconut or coconut jelly.
- Cool and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Stir and loosen before serving when needed.
Tips and variations
- Use small pale sago or tapioca pearls; large black boba need different preparation and create a different texture.
- Pandan should taste fragrant rather than artificially green.
- Extract strengths vary greatly; start with very little.
- Pale green looks more natural than neon green.
