Mango, Pomelo, Sago.

“You can always come back, but you can’t come back all the way”. Bob Dylan, Mississippi.

Well, I came back. Back to a Hanoi that I was only too happy to leave 2 months ago. Much changed here in my absence, this city is speeding towards something like modernity, but my opinion of it remains unchanged. Dylan is right though, I haven’t come back all the way because these last two months have changed me.

For starters, I seem to have lost any cooking ability that I may once have had. These last few days have been a kitchen disaster: weirdly textured too-tart gazpacho, bland bread and a revolting cocktail. It may be the ridiculous humidity here that is throwing everything off, but I’ve also certainly lost interest in cooking for one.

Secondly while living whole heartedly in the present, I’m furiously contemplating the future. What the hell am I going to do next? Every so often the uncertainty of this ‘next’ hits me like a fist in the guts and I scramble to assemble plans, always lacklustre and full of holes, but plans nonetheless. If someone would like to push me in a certain direction, I’m open to it. A bunch of years ago, while working in a restaurant I mentioned to a colleague that he might like to write me a ‘life plan’. Much to my surprise he returned from his break with a step-by-step guide to getting my life on track. I still have it  in a box somewhere, but I’ll never forget step 1: “Go and eat a banana in the park”. I wonder what would have happened if I’d followed through.

Thirdly, I just feel different now.

So here I am, unsure of the future, living in Hanoi in a kind of limbo for the next little while and eating the only thing I have managed to cobble together without fail: desserts from Hong Kong.

My friend Alex (who doesn’t read this) always jokes that I should have been born Chinese. I got a thing for China, it’s true, but I’m scared that I hold the place in too-high esteem. So for now China isn’t on the cards, but I’m still all about it’s food.

I remember hanging out in Hong Kong a few years ago, visiting dessert houses at any opportunity. We would normally order something totally out there as well as an old reliable option with mango, having left Australia just before the season started. This combination was one of my favourites: mango, pomelo and sago. Simple, easy and delicious. Now, thanks to the kindness of a friend I have a blender (thank you Karen, it is fabulous. Best blender ever!), and most of the ingredients I can recreate this little patch of Hong Kong in my Hanoi kitchen.

Most of the ingredients: A little while ago I got back from the local Vietnamese supermarket with what I thought were sago pearls. As soon as I unpacked them I smelt that my little hard white balls of gelatinous love were in fact strange perfect spheres of white pepper. Ugh. Lucky I didn’t try and cook them. So instead of sago I used a thick tapoica starch noodle, but take my advice and use sago if you can get it.

I don’t have a proper recipe for you, just cook your sago as per the packet instructions. When cooked, cool it down in cold water and set aside. Meanwhile blend your mango up with some milk (you can use coconut milk if you want), as much sugar syrup as you need, and some ice cubes if necessary. To assemble, mix sago and mango together, place in serving bowls and top with peeled and separated pomelo jewels. Eat immediately,

So while I’m looking forward to new places, new flavours and experiences I’m going to have some fun in Hanoi and hoping to get my kitchen mojo back. I’m thinking about Korea, the UK and Europe. I’m looking forward to going back to Australia, hanging out with my friends and eating all the things you can’t get here. And I’m trying to remember that you just can’t come back all the way.