Alrighty, let's get this show on the road! First, preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
In your saucepan, combine the sago, milk, cinnamon stick, and a pinch of salt. Let it sit for about 30 minutes to allow the sago to absorb the milk.
After that, bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring continuously until the sago is transparent. This should take about 15 minutes. Then remove the cinnamon stick.
While the sago is simmering, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla essence in your mixing bowl.
Gradually add a bit of the warm sago mixture to the egg mixture, whisking as you go. This process is called tempering and prevents the eggs from scrambling when you add them to the hot sago mixture.
Add the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the sago. Stir it in over low heat until the pudding thickens. This should take about 5 minutes.
Stir in the butter until it melts and combines with the pudding.
Pour the pudding into your baking dish and pop it in the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes until the top is golden brown.
Sprinkle a bit of ground cinnamon on top for garnish, and voila, your sago pudding is ready!
