Bubur cha-cha is a sweet and colourful Malaysian dessert that is usually served during breakfast or evening tea. This dish can be prepared with sago, sweet potato, yams or banana. The ingredients are cooked in coconut milk which gives a creamy and rich taste. It can be served either hot or cold. Bubur cha-cha is sold as street food throughout the country and is a popular choice especially during Ramadhan month.
The dried colourful cha-cha is easily available in any grocery stores and supermarkets in the country. Homemade cha-cha can be made with wheat flour or tapioca flour. This process is quite complicated and takes time to prepare. Thus, store-bought dried cha-cha is preferred and easier to use. A basic bowl of bubur cha-cha consists of sago and sweet potatoes. However, other ingredients can be added, such as pearl sago, yam, tapioca, banana, and red beans according to preferences.
Bubur cha-cha is usually served with bread for a fulfilling meal. It also can be served either cold or warm. To serve it cold, it needs to be refrigerated for at least 3 hours, or add some ice cubes into the warm porridge. This porridge can last up to 24 hours if refrigerated however as it contains coconut milk it will not last long.
Enjoy the sweet, creamy and colourful dessert with this recipe.
Ingredients (4 servings):
- 2 cups of dried cha-cha
- 1 cup of sago
- 1 sweet potato (diced cut and boiled until soft)
- 2 pandan leaves ( or 2 tsp pandan essences)
- 300ml of coconut milk
- 3 tbsp of sugar
- 100g of palm sugar
- 500ml of water
- ½ tsp of salt
Directions:
- Boil the dried cha-cha with pandan leaf until they become soft. Drain and set them aside.
- At the same time, boil sago until they turn translucent and drain to remove excess water. Place the cooked sago in cold water to prevent them from sticking together.
- In a pot, add water, sugar and palm sugar. Cooked them over medium heat with a knotted pandan leaf. Then, add coconut milk and salt and bring it to boil. Stir occasionally to mix them together.
- Add the cooked cha-cha, sweet potato, and sago into the pot. Mix them well to prevent them from sticking together. Lower the heat and allow the porridge to simmer for 10 minutes or until it becomes slightly sticky. Turn off the heat.
- Served with bread and eat while hot.
