Bubur Cha Cha Recipe is a rich Southeast Asian dessert that is made with fresh coconut milk, screw pine (pandan) leaves, pearl sago, sweet potatoes, and taro. This traditional dessert is versatile and has a variety of textures, colors and flavors. It has a creamy texture from the coconut milk, it is colorful from the addition of tubers, and flavorful from the pandan leaves and gula Melaka making it a comforting treat for any time of day!
When I first tried the Bubur Cha Cha (aka bubur chacha), I was hooked. This is also another quintessential ‘Nyonya’ dish, made by the Peranakan community. This dish can be served warm or cold. The screw pine-infused coconut milk, sago, and tubers form the foundational trifecta, while you could add other ingredients such as sliced bananas, tapioca jelly, and even yam.
What are screw pine (pandan) leaves?
Screw pine is also called ‘vanilla grass’ in English, although it can be readily purchased as ‘pandan’ leaves in most Asian stores. This is a zone 10 tropical plant that can be cultivated in places like Florida. The best way to maximize the flavor of these leaves is to tie them into a knot and use it like a bouquet garni. Pandan essence can be used instead of the leaves, although this is usually a last resort, that is, only if you cannot find these leaves (frozen or otherwise) locally.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- How is the Bubur Cha Cha served in Singapore?
Dessert stalls in hawker centers (food courts) have coconut milk ready to be added to the ingredients of your choice. The various ingredients are chopped up, steamed, and kept ready in bowls for the customer to mix and match. Then, the vendor ladles the coconut milk that is steamed with pandan leaves onto the customer’s choice of ingredients in a bowl. Some like it hot while others prefer a scoop of crushed ice on them.
2. What are the main ingredients for the Bubur Cha Cha recipe?
I used fresh coconut milk for my Bubur Cha Cha recipe; you can always substitute it with canned coconut milk. The choice of other add-ons is entirely up to you, but you need at least sweet potatoes or taro and pearl sago. The taro and yellow and purple sweet potatoes can be steamed for 15 minutes or pressure-cooked or cooked in a pot al dente.
3. Are there any variations for the Bubur Cha Cha recipe?
There are regional variations in Malaysia and Singapore. The prevalent dessert is popular from Thailand to Indonesia and has several variations that use tapioca pearls, yam, bananas and red beans.
If you’ve tried this recipe or have questions, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to share (below) your thoughts, comments, or any questions that you might have. And if you like my recipes, you could subscribe to my mailing list for the latest recipes that will be delivered to your inbox. From my pen to your table, Bon Appetit!
Ingredients:
- Coconut milk: fresh coconut milk – feel free to use canned coconut milk
- Pandan: pandan leaves (fresh or frozen) – a few drops of pandan essence can be used
- Sweet potato and taro: orange and purple sweet potato and taro
- Gula Melaka: crushed dry gula Melaka which has a caramel-like sweetness – feel free to use palm sugar syrup or coconut palm sugar
Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to make this dish. Please refer to the recipe card below for the measurements.
How to make the Bubur Cha Cha using my recipe:
- Heat a saucepot and add the coconut milk and the knotted pandan leaves.
2. Add the sweet potatoes, taro, sago, gula Melaka and salt. Turn off the heat when the mixture starts to boil.
3. Serve the Bubur Cha Cha warm or chilled.
1. Cook the sweet potatoes and taro al dente so they don’t become mushy when cooked with the coconut milk.
2. Soak the sago in water for 20 minutes or until soft yet firm but not grainy. Soaking for too long or over-cooking will make it mushy.
Serving suggestion:
Bubur Cha Cha can be served warm or chilled. I have added the dry gula Melaka to this recipe, but you can drizzle some more gula Melaka (palm sugar syrup) on top.
Storage:
Since the recipe for Bubur Cha Cha calls for coconut milk, it must be consumed fresh on the day of making it. However, it can be refrigerated for 2-3 days. Coconut milk tends to thicken once refrigerated, so add a little water to dilute it and then gently reheat or serve it cold.
Other coconut-based desserts that you might like:
Bubur Cha Cha Recipe
Equipment
- saucepot, stovetop
Ingredients
- 4 cup coconut milk
- 2 leaf pandan
- 1 cup pearl sago soaked, drained
- 1 cup purple sweet potato cooked, peeled and cubed
- 1 cup orange sweet potato cooked, peeled and, cubed
- ½ cup taro cooked, peeled, and cubed
- 3 tbsp gula Melaka palm sugar
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
How to make the Bubur Cha Cha:
- Prepare the ingredients.If using fresh coconut for the milk, grate and grind the coconut with enough warm water to submerge the coconut in a blender or food processor. Pulse and strain the milk.Cook, steam or pressure cook the quartered sweet potatoes and taro. Cool and peel the skin and cube them.Soak the sago in water for a few minutes until soft yet firm.
- Heat a saucepot and add the coconut milk and knotted pandan leaves.
- Add the sweet potatoes, taro, sago, gula Melaka and salt. Turn off the heat when the mixture starts to boil.
- Serve the Bubur Cha Cha warm or chilled.
Notes
- Feel free to add cooked red beans and black-eyed beans if you desire.
Nutrition
this is a great recipe! you don’t see many recipes like this anymore
Thank you, Ava!
so tasty!
this is one of my favorite desserts!