Bubur Chacha

Bubur Chacha is a South-East Asian dessert that is made with fresh coconut milk, screw pine (pandan) leaves, pearl sago, sweet potatoes, and taro. The prevalent dessert is popular from Thailand to Indonesia and has several variations.

How is Bubur Chacha 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 coconut milk that is steamed with pandan leaves onto your choice of ingredients in a bowl. Some like it hot while others prefer a scoop of crushed ice on it.

When I first tried bubur chacha (aka bubur cha cha), I was hooked on it because I love the taste of fresh coconut milk. Having been raised in South India, with two coconut trees in my backyard, this novel combination of coconut and screw pine made this dish a beloved favorite. This is also another quintessential ‘Nyonya’ dish, made by the Peranakan community. This dish can be served hot or cold. The screw pine-infused coconut milk, sago, and tubers form the foundational trifecta, there are other toppings that can be added such as sliced bananas, tapioca jelly, and even yam.

bubur chacha in a coconut shell

A word on adding screw pine 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. As for me, I grow a pandan plant indoors as it cannot tolerate frost or even temperatures below 700F because I live in zone 9. This is a handy plant to have especially if you like to make Nonya desserts. I just used up all the leaves of my small plant, so I purchased this packet (picture below) that was in the frozen section in Asian stores. 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.

Variations on other add-ons for the bubur chacha:

I used fresh coconut milk for my recipe; you can always substitute it with the 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 quickly for one whistle. The other unique ingredient is the coconut palm sugar that is available at any grocery store. This sugar adds flavor to the dessert and is in sync with the coconut theme. You could substitute with granulated sugar, but I just like going for heightened flavor.

Other Malaysian-Singaporean recipes that you might want to try:

Tips:

1. How to cook the sweet potatoes: You could pressure cook the taro and sweet potato but with their skin for one whistle or if you have a WMF cooker, then up to the first red line.

2. How to cook the pearl sago: Soak the sago in hot water from your faucet for 20 minutes or until done. Soaking for too long or over-cooking will make it mushy.

3. How to store Bubur Chacha: This dessert must be consumed fresh on the day of making it. However, it keeps for a couple of days in the refrigerator. Fresh coconut milk does not last long, especially in a dessert. You could freeze the dessert and enjoy it later after thawing it.

Bubur Chacha

Kanchan Dilip
Fresh coconut milk cooked with pearl sago, sweet potatoes, and taro that is sweetened with coconut palm sugar
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Desserts
Cuisine Malaysian-Singaporean
Servings 4
Calories 252 kcal

Equipment

  • Stovetop

Ingredients
 
 

  • ¾ cup pearl sago
  • 1 sweet potato cubed
  • 1 sweet potato purple, cubed
  • 1 taro cubed
  • 1 coconut freshly grated
  • 3 tbsp coconut palm sugar
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • tsp salt

Instructions
 

How to make fresh coconut milk:

  • Use a blunt knife to scrape out the coconut kernel from the shell.
  • Pulverize in a blender. Then, add enough water to submerge the coconut, and blend well until smooth.
  • Use a strainer and squeeze out the milk.

How to steam sweet potatoes:

  • Peel the skin of the taro and sweet potatoes and dice them into cubes.
  • Put them is a steamer and steam for 15 minutes or until firm but not too soft.

How to cook pearl sago:

  • Boil 3½ cups of water and put the sago in at boiling point. Cook for a few minutes and check intermittently to see if it is done and not grainy in the center. Drain the excess water.

How to make the Bubur Chacha:

  • Pour the fresh coconut milk into a pan, put the knotted pandan leaves, cooked sago, steamed taro, sweet potatoes, and the sugars.
  • Stir well and bring to a boil and turn off the heat.  Serve hot or cold.

Notes

  1. The pieces for sweet potatoes and taro must not too soft but firm and cooked, otherwise you will end up with a mushy broth.

Nutrition

Calories: 252kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 298mgPotassium: 535mgFiber: 7gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 16046IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 44mgIron: 1mg
Keyword bubur chacha, coconut milk dessert, pearl sago dessert

 

 

4 Comments

  1. ava

    5 stars
    this is a great recipe! you don’t see many recipes like this anymore

    Reply
    • Kanchan

      Thank you, Ava!

      Reply
  2. emma

    5 stars
    so tasty!

    Reply
  3. Danya Balagopal

    5 stars
    this is one of my favorite desserts!

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Bubur Chacha
Amount per Serving
Calories
252
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
4
g
6
%
Saturated Fat
 
3
g
19
%
Sodium
 
298
mg
13
%
Potassium
 
535
mg
15
%
Carbohydrates
 
52
g
17
%
Fiber
 
7
g
29
%
Sugar
 
6
g
7
%
Protein
 
2
g
4
%
Vitamin A
 
16046
IU
321
%
Vitamin C
 
5
mg
6
%
Calcium
 
44
mg
4
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Trending Recipes