Mango sago is a classic Hong Kong dessert wildly popular not only in Hong Kong, but also in the surrounding areas as well. Summer time in Asia is usually known for being incredibly hot; it’s hard to even take a step outside without immediately starting to sweat, but it’s so worth it to go to a dessert shop and eat a large bowl of refreshing mango sago.
Mango sago is basically a chilled dessert soup consisting of pureed mangos with sugar and coconut milk. Then sago pearls, a smaller, clear, and less chewy version of the classic brown tapioca pearls, are folded into the mix to add an extra layer of texture.
I decided to take this classic asian treat and fill them in donuts! These donuts are incredibly light and airy and the crunchy sugar coating on them help to provide a nice contrast to the soft creamy interior.
(I made a mistake while piping in the mango sago and started to pipe them while the donuts were still hot so it melted a bit, but it was still delicious nonetheless!) Would definitely recommend waiting for the donuts to cool down a bit before adding in the mango sago filling!
Ingredients
Mango Sago Filling
- 1 large mango (~ 1lb or 2 cups)
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 2 tbsp condensed milk
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/3 cup cooked sago
Donuts
- 1 packet instant yeast (2 and 1/4 tsp)
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
- 3 and 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
Sago
- 1/3 cup sago
- 4 cups water
Instructions
Mango Sago Base (do this first as chilling it will take a couple hours or overnight)
- Cut up 1 mango and pour the chunks into a blender with the coconut milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk, and cornstarch
- Blend until smooth
- Strain the mixture into a small saucepot and place over medium heat
- Continue to stir the mixture until the cornstarch activates and it begins to thicken (~10-15 minutes)
- Once it has thickened, pour the mixture into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap
- Chill in the fridge until completely cool and thickened (overnight is best as this will thicken it to a consistency suitable for piping into the donuts)
Sago
- Pour the water into a pot and heat over medium high heat until boiling
- Then pour in the sago and stir to ensure there are no clumps and none of the sago sticks to the bottom of the pot
- Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until almost all of the sago balls are completely translucent throughout
- Strain out the water from the sago and wash the sago pearls under cold water
- Leave the sago pearls to sit in a bowl of cold water until the mango base has cooled and it is time to fill the donuts
Donuts
- In a large bowl combine the wet ingredients (milk, egg yolks, and melted butter)
- In a small bowl combine the dry ingredients (flour, yeast, sugar, baking powder, and salt)
- Slowly add the dry ingredients from the small bowl, into the wet ingredients in the large bowl and mix until the dough is formed
- Continue to knead the dough for another 10 minutes or until it is no longer sticky (this is a pretty wet dough, but if after 10 minutes the dough is too sticky to touch, add an additional 1/4 cup of flour)
- Transfer the dough to a well oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap
- Allow the dough to proof for ~1 hour or until doubled in size
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll until about 1/2 inch thick
- Cut out 4 inch rounds from the dough and place on a lined baking tray
- Once all the rounds are cut, cover the baking tray with plastic wrap and allow to proof again for 30 minutes
- Pour vegetable oil into a pot (enough to reach about 3 inches from the bottom of the pot) and heat to 350F
- Once the donut rounds are done proofing, fry each donut, two at a time, in the hot oil. ~1-2 minutes each side or until golden brown
- Once the donuts are done frying and are still hot, roll the donuts in some granulated or powdered sugar if desired
- Allow the donuts to cool completely before attempting to fill
Assembly
- Once the donuts and mango base are cool, remove the mango base from the fridge and pour in the sago (strained out of the cold water) and mix to combine
- Fill a piping bag with the mango sago mixture
- Take a donut, cut a small hole into the middle of it, and pipe in the mango sago filling
- Repeat for all the donuts
