Saksak Sago Pudding
“Papua New Guinean sago-and-banana pudding — sago flour mixed with mashed ripe banana and coconut milk, wrapped in banana leaves, and steamed or baked into a dense sweet pudding. The Sepik-Gulf-Western lowland celebration dessert.”
Where it comes from
Saksak (sago in Tok Pisin) is the iconic PNG lowland dessert — the sago-palm extracted starch combined with banana and coconut milk. Particularly traditional in the Sepik River basin and Gulf Province.
On the plate
Unwrap a saksak — golden-amber pudding, glistening, smelling of banana and coconut. Bite: dense, slightly chewy from the sago, intensely banana-sweet, the coconut milk providing creamy richness, the banana leaf's grassy aroma whispering at the back. A pudding that's halfway to a confection. With a cup of black tea, this is the PNG lowland village afternoon.
How it works
Sago acts as a gelling/binding agent. Banana ripeness is critical for sweetness and texture. Steaming sets the mixture; baking creates a slightly drier crust.
Variations
With added grated coconut (chunkier). With pineapple chunks. With added vanilla. Baked in a single tray (sliced like cake). With pumpkin instead of banana. With added jackfruit.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
9 steps · Show ↓40 min active · 50 min waiting
How it's made
9 steps · Show ↓- 15 min
Mash 6 very ripe bananas with a fork (they should be soft and almost-liquid).
- 25 min
Combine mashed banana with 300 g sago flour (or substitute tapioca pearl flour), 250 ml coconut milk, 3 tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 tsp salt.
- 32 min
Mix to a thick dough.
- 416 min
Rest 15 min.
- 56 min
Cut 8 banana-leaf squares (~25 cm). Soften over flame.
- 66 min
Place 1/8 of mixture in center of each leaf; fold into parcels; tie with twine.
- 747 min
Steam in a large covered pot 45-50 min until firm.
- 816 min
Cool 15 min.
- 91 min
Unwrap; serve warm or at room temperature.
