Malaysian · Dessert

Bubur cha cha

Pieces of sweet potato and taro mingle with small tapioca pearls in a lightly sweet coconut soup. The soft roots and springy pearls give every spoonful a different texture, with pandan adding a gentle fragrance.

VeganEasy6 dessert bowls

Ingredients

Original recipe: 6 dessert bowls. Ingredient amounts scale below; the method is written for 6 servings. For larger amounts, use separate batches and check doneness.

  • 250 gpeeled taro, cut into 2 cm cubes
  • 250 gpeeled orange sweet potato, cut into 2 cm cubes
  • 40 gsmall tapioca pearls
  • 300 mlwater for soaking tapioca
  • 1000 mlwater for steaming
  • 600 mlwater for cooking tapioca
  • 400 mlunsweetened coconut milk
  • 300 mlwater for coconut soup
  • 70 gsugar
  • ¼ tspsalt
  • 1 eachpandan leaf, tied in a knot

Make it

  1. Soak tapioca pearls in their soaking water for 20 minutes, then drain. Bring the steaming water to a boil and steam taro for 10 minutes; add the sweet potato and continue for 15–20 minutes, until both are completely tender with no hard centres.
  2. Meanwhile, bring the tapioca cooking water to a boil. Add drained pearls and simmer for 12–15 minutes, stirring often, until translucent with no hard centres; drain through a fine sieve.
  3. In the second saucepan, combine coconut milk, coconut-soup water, sugar, salt and pandan. Warm over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
  4. Add the fully cooked taro, sweet potato and tapioca. Simmer very gently for 3–4 minutes to combine without breaking up the cubes.
  5. Remove the pandan and divide among six bowls. Serve warm, or cool promptly and refrigerate if serving cold; chilling time is additional.
Ingredients, recipe context & sources

Ingredient flags: None of the nine major allergens identified in the specified ingredients. Check packaged ingredients and cross-contact.

This is an original Livura home-cooking interpretation, not yet independently kitchen-tested. Source links provide dish and cultural context; the recipe wording and quantities are Livura’s.

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