From the Country Women’s Association of NSW Cookery Book:

Soak 2 tablespoons of sago in a breakfast cup of milk, add 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of sultanas, 1 brimming cup of bread crumbs, 1 tablespoonful of melted butter, 1 teaspoon of bicarb soda, 1 egg is an improvement. Steam 3 hours. Serve with cream.

This is a steamed pudding I have made many times. It is much lighter than the traditional plum pudding and it is suitable to serve on festive occasions or simply with friends for dinner. This pudding has the added bonus of being cheaper and easier to make and takes less time than the traditional plum pudding.

I love the simplicity of the recipe above, and obviously written by a great old country cook with lots of experience. I am including it as an old favourite winter pudding recipe.

However there are a few tricks to consider when making it, so I will give you my version!

55g  sago

250ml  milk

80g caster sugar

210g sultanas

1 large cup of fresh bread crumbs. Sliced white or wholemeal bread. (Sough dough bread makes a much heavier pudding and I prefer white sliced.) 

1 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 whole egg beaten

Brandy (optional)

Grated lemon rind 1 lemon (optional)

Soak 2 tbsp of sago in a bowl that is microwave safe. Add 250ml milk to the sago, stir and microwave for a minute on high. Stir again, then leave overnight in the fridge.

Perhaps when this recipe began the sago and milk sat on top of the Aga stove in a warm spot to soften. (I find when soaked in cold milk the end product is full of small white hard seeds, so it is better to cook it and warm the milk) When the pudding is cooked the sago should be translucent.

Soak 1 breakfast cup of sultanas in some brandy over night. (Optional)

Generously butter a one-litre pudding basin.

In a large mixing bowl add the sago and milk, sugar, sultanas, bread crumbs, butter, bi carbonate soda, beaten egg and grated lemon rind. Mix all together with your hands.

Place mixture into a greased pudding basin and cover tightly with tin foil. Secure with a tight string. Place the pudding on a wire rack at the bottom of the saucepan and boil for three hours with the lid on the saucepan. The water should be two thirds up the side of the pudding basin.

Serve with cream or ice cream.