A Comforting Classic with Colour and Warmth: Bubur Cha Cha

Bubur Cha Cha is a dessert deeply rooted in Southeast Asian kitchens. Creamy, lightly sweet, and fragrant with pandan, this version celebrates variety and texture by using taro and multiple types of sweet potato.

By keeping the skins on the sweet potatoes, the dish stays aligned with a whole-ingredient, low-waste approach while adding subtle texture and colour.

Why Bubur Cha Cha Is The Best Dessert

Bubur Cha Cha is comforting without being heavy. The soft cubes of root vegetables, chewy sago pearls, and coconut milk come together in a dessert that works just as well warm as it does chilled.

Ingredients You'll Need

Fresh

• 150g taro, cubed

• 150g orange sweet potato, cubed (keep skins)

• 150g purple sweet potato, cubed (keep skins)

• 50g sago pearls

• 1L water

• 3 pandan leaves

• 100g rock sugar (adjust to taste)

• 300g coconut milk (adjust to taste)

Cooking Instructions

1. Steam the taro and sweet potatoes for about 25 minutes until fork-tender. Set aside.

2. Cook the sago pearls in boiling water until fully transparent. Rinse under cold water and set aside.

3. Bring water to a boil in a pot. Add pandan leaves and rock sugar. Cook until the sugar dissolves fully and adjust sweetness to taste.

4. Add coconut milk, steamed taro, sweet potatoes, and sago pearls. Bring to a gentle simmer.

Serving Suggestions

Serve warm for a comforting dessert, or chill and enjoy cold on a hot day. It also pairs well with fresh fruit or toasted coconut flakes.

Tips to Make It Better

• Do not overcook sago: Remove once fully transparent to prevent mushiness.

  
  

• Balance sweetness gradually: Rock sugar dissolves slowly, so taste as you go.

  
  

• Fragrance boost: Gently bruise pandan leaves before adding to release aroma.

A Dessert That Always Feels Like Home

Bubur Cha Cha is simple, colourful, and timeless. It is a reminder that the most comforting desserts are often built from the humblest ingredients.

Happy cooking!

The recipe is a collaboration between Museum of Food Singapore and Tingkat Takeaways.

Museum of Food Singapore (MOF) is a non-profit organisation focused on heritage food education. The museum explores everything related to food in Singapore, from preserving traditional tools and recipes used by earlier generations, to passing down culinary skills and knowledge, and examining the sustainability of heritage foods and the wider food industry.

MOF believes that Singapore’s food belongs to all its people, and that heritage food education should be accessible across all segments of society. Through this work, MOF aims to encourage a deeper sense of ownership, appreciation, and responsibility towards Singapore’s culinary heritage.