Mango pomelosago is a type of contemporary Hong Kongdessert. Invented in 1984 by :zh-tw:利苑酒家|Lei Garden, it has sustained its popularity up till now. This dessert can be found on the menu of many Chinese restaurants and dessert stores in Hong Kong as well as Singapore, Guangdong, and Taiwan. As time goes by, this dessert has evolved into many different forms for the purpose of coping with the keen competition brought by other newly invented desserts. For example, it serves as a flavor for other desserts and drinks.
Origin
The Chinese name of "mango pomelo sago" comes from the concept of dropping manna from a willow branch which makes people feel refreshed when they taste it. It was also the secret tool of the Guanyin according to the traditional Chinese mythology Journey to the West. This dessert was said to be invented by Lei Garden in 1984 when it decided to set up its first branch in Singapore. Given that it wanted to create a new dessert which is in line with the taste of Singaporeans. :zh-tw:黃永幟|Wong Wing-chee, the former head chef of the Lei Garden, invented mango pomelo sago as a new dish of the Lei Garden. Due to the tropical rainforest climate in Southeast Asia, he intentionally invented this dessert to make people feel cooler after having a taste of it. Inspired by the local ingredients in Singapore, Wong decided to make a dessert featuring mango, pomelo, and sago. However, there is another version of the origin saying that this dessert was invented by the Lei Garden in order to make good use of the leftover pomelo after making Lo Hei in Chinese New Year.
Recipe
According to Maria Cordero, a Macaunese-Hong Kong singer who is fond of cooking, the process of making this dessert is 'a piece of cake'. All the ingredients it needs are diced mango, sliced pomelo, sago, coconut milk, evaporated milk and milk. First, boil the sago while blending mango, coconut milk, evaporated milk and milk in the blender. When the sago begins to float and turns transparent, rinse it for later use. Then, pour the mixture into a bowl together with the cooked sago and mix well. Lastly, the pomelo is put on top of the mixture for decoration. All these ingredients can be chilled beforehand to improve the taste of this dessert.
Evolution
In order to suit different tastes of people and attract new customers, people keep coming up with a wide variety of ideas to make new desserts by using mango pomelo sago as the base ingredient.
Dessert stores owners create new forms of mango pomelo sago as a gimmick to attract customers. For instance, mango pomelo sago is served with tofu pudding, coffee or aloe vera.
Due to the pursuance and advocacy of convenience, there are bottled mango pomelo sago drinks offered in different places like convenience stores and dessert stores.
Some cooks may even make changes to the existing recipe by adding in different ingredients apart from sago, such as rice ball and grass jelly.
Some chained cake shops even take mango pomelo sago as the main flavour for their latest promoted cake during Chinese New Year.
