moon and bumble both your suggestions sound great. really great.
i made the sago tonight. my auntie and uncle had some aging sago everyone had forgotten about, and i wanted to do something with it. i soaked it overnight, drained then boiled it for 15 minutes till it was clear in water. the water was nicely thickened into a thick translucent watery jelly. i took a mixing bowl, i took a little saffron, some sugar, and a packet of coconut milk powder and mixed it together. i then put a strainer over the bowl, strained a little of the sago cooking water over it and mixed it. i let the rest of the cooked sago drain separately and then mixed that in. i broke up four big fat elaichi (cardamoms) that i found (if you use smaller ones, then use like 6), and a little ginger. I didn’t have any nutmeg and cinnamon, but you can add a little of that in and mix it all together. it should be a nice light pink and smooth and silky except for the translucent sagos floating in it. it will be a bit more watery than traditional tapioca, but thicker than typical kheer. think clam chowder texture, minus the big lumps.
this was a purely experimental recipe. i wanted to mix sago and coconut into a drink i had gotten in an asian store. then i saw this –
http://chefinyou.com/2012/10/sabudana-kheer/
and decided to see what i could do if i cooked the sago and use the recipe for loose inspiration. it turned out rather well!