Sago Soup

Ingredients

• 5 oz sago
• 2 quarts stock

Method

Sago soup is a dissolution-based dish: you're cooking pearl sago until the starch granules hydrate fully and burst, thickening the stock into a silky, near-gelatinous broth. The grain is the vehicle here, not a passenger.

Rinse the sago under cold water first to remove surface starch dust — this prevents clumping when it hits the hot stock. Bring your stock (beef, chicken, or veal, depending on your protein base) to a rolling boil. Add the sago in a thin stream, stirring constantly as you pour. This gradual addition is not theatre: it prevents the grains from bonding into a solid mass. The agitation keeps each pearl separate and exposed to the heat. Once all the sago is in, maintain a gentle simmer. After 15–20 minutes, the pearls will turn translucent and soft. Keep stirring occasionally — they sink and stick if left alone. The soup is done when the grains have lost their rigid core and the liquid has thickened noticeably. Taste a pearl: it should yield completely to the tooth, with no grainy centre. If it still resists, simmer for another few minutes. The starch doesn't dissolve entirely — it gelatinises, which is why the broth becomes viscous and cloudy rather than clear.

For enrichment at the table, whisk 2 egg yolks with a small splash of boiled cream until pale. Remove the soup from the heat, wait 30 seconds for the violent steam to subside, then pour a ladleful of hot broth into the egg mixture whilst whisking. This emulsification prevents the yolks from scrambling. Pour this tempered mixture back into the pot, stirring continuously for 10 seconds. Do not return to the heat — residual warmth will set the yolk into a custard-like suspension throughout the soup. This enrichment is optional but worth doing: it adds richness and a slight binding action that deepens the mouthfeel. Serve hot, directly from the pot.