Sabudana Khichdi..An undying love story.

Sabudana Khichdi is made with tapioca (sago) pearls. It is usually had when an individual is observing “fast” for religious reasons. Its pretty high in calories and carbohydrates to keep one full during their “fast” (Vrat). As much of a health freak I am, I eat it for only one reason. I love it. 🙂

I have loved eating sabdudana khichdi for as long as I can remember. I can safely say these are my favorite kind of pearls. Fasting with my mom just to be able to feast on a big bowl of this delightful dish. Fortunately, my husband enjoys eating this as much and our daughter has followed suite. Its a family favorite dish that I really enjoy cooking and relishing. 🙂

Notice how I smile every time I talk about it. Yeah that is how much I love it.

While making this dish, a lot depends on the quality of the sabudana and the soaking process. Excess water can make this khichdi very sticky. If that happens to you, add some more potatoes and make tiikis, known as sabudana vada, Either way it tastes delicious.

As for me, sticky or not, I enjoy it equally. When you love someone, you accept them in both their good and bad days 🙂

Here is how I make Sabudana Khichdi.

A recipe video is available on my you tube channel here

Ingredients:

Sabudana pearls – 1 cup

Medium potato – 1, finely chopped

Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp

Green chilly – 1, finely chopped

Salt to taste (Use Sendha Salt if you are fasting)

Sugar – 1 Tsp (Or more if you like)

Lemon Juice – 2 Tsp

Roasted and crushed Peanuts – 1/2 cup (I sometimes use roasted and  whole peanuts too or a mix of both kinds). The crushed peanuts really help to keep the pearls separate. So no sticky khichdi.

Ghee or clarified butter – 1.5 tbsp. (Can use oil if you like, but it tastes so much better with ghee)

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp (optional)

Cilantro for garnish

Method:

1. Put the Sabudana in a colander and wash it well under running water till all the starch is washed off. The water will finally be clear as opposed to white. The lesser the starch, the less sticky the khichdi.
2. Now soak the sabudana in very little water, just about an inch above the pearls. Leave it for 3 – 4 hours or longer, if possible. Keep fluffing it with a fork every hour to make sure the pearls are separate.
3. Another soaking method that seemed to recently work for me is where you soak the sabudana in water (like you do for rice) for about an hour. Then rinse out all the remaining water. Cover and leave this soaked sabudana in fridge overnight. The next morning, you will see that all pearls are separate and pretty dry. Again fluff it well with a fork and move on with the recipe.
4. Heat ghee in a big pan, I prefer to use a nonstick pan here to control the amount of ghee. Also the khichdi sticks less to the pan. Once the ghee is hot, add in the cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add the green chilly and let it cook for just about a minutes.
5. Its time to add the finely chopped potatoes. Cook them for about 3 minutes till they get a nice color and get soft. If using turmeric, you can add it here.
6. Meanwhile, take your soaked sabudana and mix the salt, sugar, crushed peanuts and lemon juice. I prefer to do this before as it coats the sabudana well and the lesser you move around the khichdi while its on the flame, the better.
7. Once potatoes are done, add sabudana to it and mix well. Just in case you feel your khichdi is drying out, you can sprinkle some water while cooking.
8. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes till all white pearls turn translucent. That’s when you know your khichdi is ready.
9. Finally garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and dig in.

So there you have it. Go ahead and make some of this delicious dish and treat yourself to some perfectly cooked Sabudana Khichdi. 🙂

And believe in Love, Because some love stories are forever. 🙂

Happy Cooking, Fasting and Feasting.

Love,

Ritu.