Okay, I am super thrilled in sharing with you my mom’s Sabudana Khichdi with a little tweeks. Yeah, my mom used to make this tapioca pearls pilaf, every once in a while and it tasted just yum then and now!!
THE SABUDANA KHICHDI
Sabudana Khichdi is a dish that originated from the state of Maharashtra in India. This savoury dish is specially enjoyed during Indian festivals of Shivratri and Navratri season. However its great to enjoy for breakfast / tiffin. Sabudana refers to the starch that is extracted from tapioca roots, which is then processed to form spherical pearls that may vary in size. It is one of the popular ingredients added to Indian food. It is also know by many names - sago khichdi, sabudana khichadi, khichdi with sabudana and tapioca pearl pilaf. I love making Sabudana Vada with Sago Seeds. Have you tried it before?
How do you make Sabudana Khichdi?
How long do you soak Sabudana / Tapioca Pearls? This is something I get asked often looking at perfect non sticky Sabudana. Well, the key is to wash the tapioca pearl under tap water or placed in a colander a couple of times, until all the starch clears. Soak the Sago seeds in 1 Cup of water at least for 8 hours or overnight. This works perfectly for me! Well, there is a little secret to her flavoursome Vegan khichdi! Amma would coarsely blend some curry leaves and green chillies too along with Peanuts and then marinate the soaked Sago Pearls with it. Thereby, there is no worry of ditching curry leaves in the khichadi, as its some amazing properties. Also, this totally distinguishes all Sabudana Khichadi to my mom’s Sabudana Khichdi. We love potatoes in our Khichdi as its filling and this also makes it lovable for children. My kiddos adore this Sabudana Khichdi and they came asking for more! I really cannot ask for any thing more! Otherwise this humble dish has got very minimal basic pantry ingredients like cumin seeds, green chilli, curry leaves, coriander leaves, lemon juice, salt and sugar.
Important Tips to make the BEST Sabudana Khichdi
To make best Non Sticky sabudana khichdi recipe, some advance preparation is involved! Once this is sorted, you can make the Sabudana Khichadi like a pro. { Maharastrian style Sabudana Khichdi } SOAK - First and the foremost step, is to soak the 1 Cup of Tapioca Pearls in 1 Cup of water, overnight or at least 8 hours. Just incase you are not used to measuring them, a rough measurement would be to add enough water that is ¼ inch higher than the soaked sago seeds. SMASH TEST IS THE KEY! Press the Soaked Sabudana between your index finger and thumb and see if it gets smashed easily. If yes, you are all ready to go. But just incase it is still hard, allow the sabudana to soak for some more time. Ideally, this will not be needed. POTATOES. Adding potatoes makes it for a complete meal. You can add raw potatoes and roast it or just boiled potatoes, choice is yours. Adding boiled potatoes will speed up the cooking time. Either-ways works too. We love roasted potatoes anytime and hence we prefer roasted potatoes in sabudana khichdi too. AVOID COOKING SABUDANA KHICHDI for too long. I tend to cook it for maximum of 4-5 minutes. Cooking any longer will make it a lump like.
OTHER APPETISER RECIPES TO TRY
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HOW TO MAKE SABUDANA KHICHDI STEP BY STEP
First rinse the tapioca / sago seeds under running tap water or placed in a colander , a couple of time until all the starch clears. Soak in 1 Cup of clean water for at least 8 hours or overnight. Some variety of Sago seeds require less soaking. I would suggest you to accordingly adjust.
Meanwhile, roast the peanuts in hot pan for about 3-4 minutes in low flame until nicely roasted. Allow it cool down. Set aside 3 tablespoon Peanuts for later. We enjoy the crunch from the peanuts. But you can always leave it out. In a mixer jar, add peanuts, curry leaves, 1 green chilly and blend until coarse.
Marinate the Sago Seeds with Peanut powder mix.
Heat oil or ghee in a pan, add cumin seeds. Once they sizzle, add 3 tablespoon roasted peanuts, curry leaves and green chillies. Saute for a minute. Add diced potatoes and saute in high. Cook for 2 minutes. Cover and cook for another 5-6 minutes, until nearly done.
Now add the marinated Sabudana/ Sago Seeds, salt & sugar. Cook for just about 3-4 minutes until tapioca pearls are translucent. Stir gently to mix well. Remember not to over cook as the sabudana will start becoming a lump. Turn off the flame. Add a squeeze of lemon juice. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.
