Sago is a cereal that is made from starch obtained from the same type of palm trees. To make starch, trees are cut down after the fruit has been harvested, and then the starch inside the trunk is extracted. It is washed and rubbed through a sieve, which is located over a hot sheet of metal. Thanks to this, starch immediately turns into cereals, which will only have to be dried. About 150 g of sago can be prepared from one palm tree.
This is how cereals are prepared where there are palm trees, while artificial sago is more common in our country. For its preparation, high quality potato or corn starch is used. Artificial groats at heat treatment increases in volume by about 3 times.
In Europe, sago is made from sago flour, which is bought in the tropics. Another variety is sago tapioca. Such cereals are made from the roots of the cassava bush. On the shelves there are not only white, but also slightly yellow cereals, which is due to the use of burnt sugar.
Beneficial features
The beneficial properties of sago primarily depend on how it was produced. Part natural product contains fiber, which helps cleanse the intestines of toxins and toxins. Sago boasts the presence of almost all the minerals that are necessary for the normal functioning of the body. It contains various vitamins. The advantage of this cereal is completely free of gluten which causes allergies in many people. That is why it is recommended to use sago for people with celiac disease (a disease that provokes severe allergies).
This product has an enveloping property, which allows it to be used as a prevention of gastrointestinal diseases. Sago is an excellent source of energy. Many doctors recommend including porridge from it in a therapeutic diet and with exhaustion. Helps sago and improve appetite. This product contains a lot of choline, which provides protection for cell membranes and improves the absorption of fat. This substance also has a positive effect on the functioning of the nervous system.
Use in cooking
Sago is used in cooking to prepare numerous dishes. different cuisines peace. This cereal does not have its own taste, but it perfectly absorbs the aromas and tastes of other products. It goes well with rice, which allows you to get the original porridge.
Sago can be put in the first and second courses. Groats are often used as a natural thickener. You can add it to various drinks.
Sago is included in baking recipes, and desserts, fillings and sweets are also prepared from it. In India, sago flour is very popular, from which delicious tortillas. For dessert, you can add honey, fruits and berries to the porridge.
How to cook sago?
It is worth saying that artificial sago is more difficult to cook than natural. This product is quite "capricious". Each fan of this product may have their own recipes for its preparation, but let's look at the most common option. Take 1 tbsp. water and 0.5 tbsp. milk. Combine the liquids, add salt to taste and 0.5 teaspoon of sugar. Boil, and then put there 3 tbsp. tablespoons of cereal and cook for 25 minutes. At the end of the time, put the pan in the oven for 5 minutes. Before serving, it is recommended to put oil in the porridge.
Sago porridge can also be cooked in a slow cooker. This requires 4 tbsp. bring milk to a boil. To do this, you need to select the "Steam Cooking" program. This will take about 5 minutes. Then add a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of sugar. In boiling milk, pour 11 tbsp. spoons of sago and mix. Select the "Milk porridge" mode and cook for 50 minutes. After the signal, add 20 g of oil and leave for another 10 minutes. in heating mode. That's all, delicious porridge ready.
From sago, you can prepare a semi-finished product that is suitable for different dishes. It keeps for several days. To do this, you need to cook the cereal until half cooked and put it in a colander to remove excess liquid. Then, on a clean towel, you need to lay out a thin layer of porridge and dry it. After that, it remains to put everything in a container and put it in the refrigerator.
Harm of sago and contraindications
Harm sago can bring due to high calorie, since there are 335 kcal per 100 g.
In addition, there are a lot of simple carbohydrates in cereals, which, with increased consumption of the product lead to weight gain.
Sago is contraindicated if an individual intolerance to the product is detected.
Sago- artificially produced grits from palm starch (trunk of the sago palm); This grain is used in East Asian countries to thicken sauces and broths and make puddings. We can meet sago made from corn or potato starch.
Origin
Real sago is obtained from sago palms growing in Southeast Asia, on the islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. There are especially a lot of them on the islands of New Guinea, the Philippines and Indonesia: they reach 15 m in height, and there are fruits on them only once - after that they die. It is precisely because such a palm tree accumulates useful and nutritious substances throughout its life - after all, the plant must give them to the fruits - the starch formed in its trunk has such valuable nutritional properties.
So the locals cut down such palms for sago production even before they bloom - up to 150 kg of sago can be obtained from the trunk of one palm tree.
Sago palms are especially important for the inhabitants of the Moluccas and New Guinea - one can say that they occupy the same place in their diet as wheat in the diet of Europeans, and rice in the diet of the Japanese and Chinese. At home, sago palms are not just cut down before flowering, as poachers would do - they are very actively cultivated, although there are also enough of these trees in the wild - thanks to the humid and warm tropical climate.
Sago made from corn and potato starch
Even in Russian times, starch groats were sold in our stores. And the raw material for its production was potato or corn starch. Naturally, this is not real sago, but also a very necessary cereal. This product contains only starch. No special ingredients are needed at all. Due to the ability to store raw materials for a long time, preservatives are not added to the cereal.
Groats from corn starch (as well as from potato starch) require a special approach to production. At the first steps in the development of this production, mistakes were made that led to huge losses of product and raw materials, because starch groats were quite expensive. At the moment, it costs the same as ordinary cereals, because the technological sequence of its production has been revised and brought to virtually perfection.
Palm starch groats look the same as wrong sago: snow-white balls, small diameter of about 3 mm. When cooking, its volume increases by two or more times. The main use is in cereals, pastry entrails, puddings, it is occasionally added to soups and confectionery. The peculiarity of this cereal is that it provides the density of any dish, and its gentle and soft taste is completely universal in culinary terms.
For the manufacture of artificial sago, only starch of the highest quality is selected, which is slightly gelatinized with natural ingredients. The first type of raw material that was used was one hundred percent from potatoes. Over time, it became possible to use corn starch.
Properties of sago
As part of sago cereals, there is no gluten - a substance found in many cereals: oatmeal, barley, pearl barley, wheat and semolina.
If natural sago is made from the starch of sago palms, then artificial is made from potato and corn. It is preferable to eat natural cereals, because it is in it that nutritional properties exotic plant. Unfortunately, there are very few natural cereals on sale, mostly a product appears on the shelves, made from what is full - from potatoes.
Sago is very high in calories. It contains simple carbohydrates, the same hateful substances that abound in muffins and potatoes. In addition, the composition contains sugar, starch, dietary fiber, proteins and fats. Of the vitamins there is choline, A, B, PP.
The mineral composition of sago is amazing: it contains almost all the basic elements that the body needs.
In the production of artificial sago, groats are enriched with various useful substances, various vitamins. This makes it different from starch. This cereal is also useful.
The benefits of sago
Sago grits are very satisfying. It contains an abundance of choline. This substance is responsible for the protective properties of cell membranes, affects the absorption of fats, and prevents the appearance of excess weight. In addition, choline has a calming effect on nervous system and is part of many antidepressants and sedatives.
A large amount of minerals makes real sago groats an excellent product, healthy and nutritious.
Natural sago is a product obtained from the fruits of the sago palm, a tropical tree that grows in Indonesia, on the Malay Islands. In our country, the sago palm does not grow.
In dietary nutrition, artificial sago is used as a substitute for cereals, which is a starch cereal, which is prepared from the best varieties corn or potato starch. During the cooking process, the raw materials are pressed through fine sieves, heated in special ovens, dried, and as a result, sago grains are obtained, which we purchase in the store.
Artificial sago is not inferior to natural sago either in taste or nutritional value. Sago can be used on the menu for various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
The minimum amount of protein (less than 0.8% in potato starch sago) makes this cereal indispensable in cases where it is necessary to limit protein in the diet, for example, with certain kidney diseases.
Sago - cereals are not only tasty, but also healthy, high-calorie (100 g of cereals give the body over 300 kcal). According to its nutritional value and digestibility, sago is rightfully considered one of the most essential dietary products.
Contraindications
The range of dishes from sago groats is quite diverse. Soups, main courses, desserts and even compotes - they can all include this product. Cereals are quickly digested, thanks to the high glycemic index stimulates appetite. Taste qualities the cereal itself is not pronounced - it is an almost tasteless product, since it does not have a pronounced taste, but it perfectly absorbs the taste and aromas of other products. Therefore, cooks are happy to add it to other dishes to make them thicker.
As a rule, sago groats are sold already packaged.
When choosing a product, pay attention to the packaging. It should clearly indicate the shelf life and composition. The grains inside the package should not look stuck together - they should be easily separated from each other. It is best that they have a slight yellowish tint.
As for contraindications, in the case of sago they are minimal: cereals should not be consumed only with individual intolerance to the product.
On a note
Sago refers to diet food, but only for those who have diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Great for baby food. With all this, it is not at all recommended for overweight people. The fact is that cereals from starch are quite high-calorie. But for those who need strength for their studies, this is good food.
Most of us love delicious food. But no matter how tasty the dishes are, sooner or later they get bored, you want something new. And from the point of view of usefulness - food should be varied. Sago groats are one of the few products that few people know about. It is of artificial origin and is prepared from various starches.
Natural sago is native to Southeast Asia, Malaysia and India. The palm tree of the same name grows here, from which this product is prepared. bears fruit once in a lifetime, by this time the maximum amount of nutrients and starches accumulates in its trunk. Before flowering, the locals cut it down, the core is processed, crushed and dried. After that, the sago groats are ready. The first and second courses, puddings are prepared from it, used as a filling or as an independent dish. Such “multifunctionality” is due to the fact that sago does not have a pronounced taste and smell, but it perfectly absorbs the taste and smell of other dishes.
This product is also extracted from some other types of palms, but all these plants do not grow in our climatic conditions. If you import ready-made cereals, then it will cost quite a lot, so in our country it is made from high-quality potato or corn starch. The technology is quite complicated, because the cost of the product is also quite high.
Accurate chemical composition it is difficult to specify this cereal: it all depends on the production technology and the source material. But absolutely sago groats contain quite a lot of calories (100 grams of the product contains 300-350 kcal), most of which are carbohydrates (up to 85% of them).
Features of the production process led to the almost complete absence of complex proteins in sago. This made it possible to use it in dietary nutrition with protein intolerance (celiac disease or phenylketonuria). dishes,
made from this cereal are digested quickly and have high calorie content. Therefore, they are often recommended after serious illnesses, to restore weight and strength, as well as for children and adolescent nutrition.
Natural sago is easy to prepare, but you should be careful with a product made from potato or corn starch. If the cooking rules are not followed, problems may arise: porridge can stick together into one lump, or dissolve into a jelly-like mass.
High-quality cereals look like milky-white balls without foreign inclusions or lumps. Some manufacturers add yellowish-brown groats to the composition then. Pay attention to the smell of sago - the groats should not have a moldy or musty aroma. To taste - extraneous aftertastes, bitterness or acidity are unacceptable. The product is often affected by barn pests. In this case, the saga groats are warmed up, dried, the pests are separated. After opening the package, it is better to store this product in an airtight container ( glass jar with a tight lid) to avoid the absorption of foreign odors.
Sago are matte white balls. Of course they are edible. Earlier, in childhood, we met her on the shelves of grocery stores and even ate delicious pies with her. But now it is very difficult to get sago. They make sago and artificial, and it is, of course, easier to get it. Many housewives are very fond of this product, but today it is not so popular anymore, as people are simply unfamiliar with it. We want to tell you about it in order, but there is not very much information.
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Photo gallery: Sago groats: properties, composition, recipes
What is it - sago groats?
If sago is real, then it is extracted from palm trees, which are called sago, and grow in Asia on islands located in the Indian and Pacific oceans. There are many special ones in New Guinea, Indonesia and the Philippines. Its height is about 15 meters, and it produces fruits only once, after which it dies. Therefore, this palm tree throughout its existence accumulates nutrients and useful substances in order to invest them in its fruits. The starch that is formed in the stem has valuable nutritional properties.
The aborigines cut down these palms in order to harvest these sago beads without waiting for them to bloom and thus behave like poachers. One trunk of such a palm gives almost 150 kg of this most valuable product.
Sago palm is very important for the life of people living in the Moluccas, as well as in New Guinea - sago for them, like wheat for us or rice for the Chinese. This tree has a rapid growth, as this is facilitated by a humid and warm tropical climate.
What is sago made of?
The nutritional qualities of sago are different - it all depends on the method of extraction and the plant itself, from which it is obtained. But there are always a lot of calories in sago - about 335 kcal per 100 grams of food. It contains simple carbohydrates, fats, proteins, sugar, starch, dietary fiber and vitamins, among which choline, vitamin E, PP, A, B are the most abundant. Minerals are represented in it by the content of potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, sulfur , chlorine, iron, zinc, iodine, copper, manganese, molybdenum, boron, vanadium, silicon, cobalt, aluminum, nickel, tin, titanium, strontium, zirconium.
Gluten, which causes allergies in some people and is found in wheat, is not found in sago. That is why the composition diet food used to include sago. Today it is recommended to use it for some diseases as a substitute for cereals.
Sago is also obtained from cassava root, but this is not at all the same as palm sago, so it can be considered a substitute. Cassava is a member of the Euphorbiaceae family that grows in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. This shrub is not high, and sago is extracted from a tuberous root 1 meter long, it weighs about 15 kg. There is a lot of starch in it, somewhere around 40%, but there is also a poisonous glycoside in it, which decomposes and is excreted after cooking and washing.
Unas in the country more often sago is made from potatoes. This is understandable, because palm trees do not grow in Russia, if only in the Caucasus and Crimea, but now these are already other countries. Potato starch is moistened, then rolled into white mealy balls like pearls in a special drum. Then they are again run in, processed over steam, sorted - they turn out to be transparent, resembling grains of glass - this is called artificial sago.
Maybe some people think that the nutritional value sago is no different from starch, but still this is not entirely true. After all, during the manufacture it has to be enriched with vitamins and proteins, thiamine, riboflavin, nicotinic acid.
How can you know the quality of the product? Sago is an artificial cereal, but natural is unusual for us, we don’t know how it looks and what it tastes like. And everything is very simple - sago should not have any extraneous aftertaste, i.e. no bitterness, no acidity - its taste is neutral. The smell of starch is possible, but it should be fresh, but not musty in any way. To feel good, you should pour sago on the palm of your hand, breathe on it in order to warm it up a little, then smell it. The presence of mold is immediately visible. Grains should have a whole and neat appearance, which means they are fresh and that they were produced and stored correctly.
Sago Recipes
To prepare sago porridge, it is necessary to sort out the groats, rinse in cold running water, pour into boiling salted water and cook for half an hour with constant stirring so that it does not stick together, until half cooked. Then recline on a sieve and keep it in it until the water drains, then put it in a saucepan and close the lid tightly. Put the pan on a boiling bath and boil for 30 minutes. Add oil as much as possible.
Filling for pies
For the filling of pies, it is not necessary to keep the cereal in the bath, just boil it, as in the first case, until half cooked, then put it on a sieve, cool it, and then use it. All fillings are different, some make sago with hard-boiled eggs - it resembles rice filling, but still it is more tender and much easier to digest.
If you like dishes made with sago, learn how to cook it in advance - this will save your time. Boil it until half cooked, put it on a sieve, let the water drain, spread the cereal on a clean, dry towel, dry it, put it in a container and refrigerate. Thus, you will have a ready-made semi-finished product, from which you can then cook on hastily many dishes. You can make the filling for pies, cheesecakes, casseroles, as well as cook porridge, cook cakes, cookies, shortbreads - it will all turn out much faster.
Everything we wrote about above concerns natural sago, obtained from the starch sago palm. Artificial cereals obtained from potatoes and corn are prepared in a completely different way, however, the listed dishes can also be prepared from such sago. If sago has been stored for a long time, then before starting cooking, it should be soaked for several hours, then rinsed and boiled for at least 40 minutes.
Today, sago groats have become a rarity, but once, in the Soviet past, it was familiar product. Outwardly, sago is a small balls of white, matte. There is natural and artificial sago.
The real ones are made from special palms called sago. They grow in Southeast Asia and on islands located in the waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. These palm trees grow very, very tall - up to 15 meters. They bear fruit only once in a lifetime and after this event they die.
The starch accumulated in the trunks of the sago palm goes to the production of cereals. These plants give a lot of valuable starch - about 150 kilograms of sago come out of one palm tree.
For some peoples of New Guinea and the Moluccas, sago groats are almost the main food product. Local residents not only take care of palm trees that have grown on their own, but also plant new ones, protect them and take care of them.
Properties of sago
As part of sago cereals, there is no gluten - a substance found in many cereals: oatmeal, barley, pearl barley, wheat and semolina.
If natural sago is made from the starch of sago palms, then artificial is made from potato and corn. It is preferable to eat natural cereals, because it is in it that the nutritional properties of an exotic plant are concentrated. Unfortunately, there are very few natural cereals on sale, mainly a product made from what is full - from potatoes appears on the shelves.
Sago is very high in calories. It contains simple carbohydrates, the same hateful substances that abound in muffins and potatoes. In addition, the composition contains sugar, starch, dietary fiber, proteins and fats. Of the vitamins there is choline, A, B, PP.
The mineral composition of sago is amazing: it contains almost all the basic elements that the body needs.
In the production of artificial sago, groats are enriched with various useful substances, various vitamins. This makes it different from starch. This cereal is also useful.
The benefits of sago
Sago grits are very satisfying. It contains an abundance of choline. This substance is responsible for the protective properties of cell membranes, affects the absorption of fats, and prevents the appearance of excess weight. In addition, choline has a calming effect on the nervous system and is part of many antidepressants and sedatives.
A large amount of minerals makes real sago groats an excellent product, healthy and nutritious.
The use of sago
Gluten, the absence of which sago flaunts, is, in fact, gluten, which people used many centuries ago. It is not harmful to anyone, except for patients with gluten intolerance - celiac disease. This is a hereditary disease that is manifested by inflammation of the intestines after eating gluten-containing foods.
For those suffering from celiac disease, sago porridge is an opportunity to diversify their diet.
Sago groats are easy to cook, only for a long time. The pre-washed balls are boiled in an open saucepan for about half an hour, then they are thrown back, poured again with water and boiled for the same amount. Delicious sago porridge boiled in milk comes out. And of course, what is porridge without butter?
Sago grits are suitable for making fillings for pies. Sago is also used to make pudding.
Cooking dishes from artificial sago require special skill - the groats sometimes behave unpredictably, boil or stick together.
Sago has a neutral taste, so it is better to cook it with the addition of honey, nuts, jam, fruits and berries.
Harm sago
The best cereals are fresh and natural. If it has a musty smell of mold, a taste of bitterness or sourness, if the balls are uneven, damaged, then the sago was stored incorrectly or the expiration date has completely expired. Such cereals, of course, cannot be eaten.
