Recipe for Sabudana Khichdi
What is unique about this recipe?
Sabudana Khichdi is a simple and quick meal, mostly relished by Hindus observing fasts during festive periods in India. Made by cooking sago seeds in clarified butter along with peanuts, potatoes along with cumin seeds and green chilli paste, this dish makes for a wholesome meal in times of fasting !
Sabudana or Tapioca comes in different variations, with the best quality seeds judged based on their size. The trick to making good Sabudana Khichdi lies on the duration for which the sago seeds are soaked in the water allowing them to swell. The trick to making non-sticky sabudana lies in a simple one-step process. Check out the ingredients, preparation and cooking method to relish this popular food recipe !!
Ingredients for Sabudana Khichdi
Sago/Tapioca (Sabudanā) – 3 cups
Potatoes – 1 large, diced into small cubes
Clarified butter(ghee) – 4 tablespoons
Salt to taste
Cumin seeds – 1 tablespoon
Green chillies – 8-10 chopped and blended to a fine paste with a pinch of salt
Peanuts – 3/4 cup full, dry roasted and then their skin removed by husking
Coriander – 1/2 a bunch, finely chopped
Lime juice – 2-3 teaspoons
Method to cook Sabudana Khichdi
In a medium bowl, soak the sago seeds in water with the sago to water ratio being equal to 2:1 . The excess water is taken up by the sago seeds to soften up and swell
The trick to soaking the sago seeds is to soak the sabudana so that the level of water comes up to just above the level of the sago seeds. However, it’s highly recommended that the seeds are gently washed once or twice before soaking them in order to get rid of the extra starch
Adding the correct proportion of water is critical in preparing this dish as any excess or less amount of water added will cause the seeds to turn either too soggy or too hard. Check back the seeds in an hour . Ideally, the water should have all been soaked up, else drain out the extra water
Leave the sago seeds to dry by spreading them out on the paper towel for about half an hour then emptying them out in a bowl
To the swollen sago seeds add the salt and green chilli paste and mix them well
Now taking a large wok or pan , lightly heat the clarified butter and temper the ghee with cumin seeds and curry leaves. Next, add in the diced potatoes and fry them lightly
Once the potatoes get well sauted add the sago mixture to the fried potatoes and give the ingredients a good mix to prevent the sago seeds from clumping
You might want to sprinkle a few drops of water if you feel the sabudana is too dry. However, adding too much water might cause the sago to stick
Continue to cook on low flame until the sago turns translucent. Cover the mixture with a lid and leave it to simmer for 3-5 minutes
Once done, switch off the flame and garnish the sabudana with freshly chopped coriander and a drizzle of lime juice !
Sabudana Khichdi as a breakfast or snack recipe makes up for an excellent vegetarian meal and is very unique in comparison to other dishes
Additionally, roasted cashews or almonds could be added along with the peanuts or instead of peanuts to make this recipe unique
You could also try using red chilli or black pepper powder in place of green chilli paste if you want to avoid the sharp flavours of chillies!
Sabudana Khichdi can be relished when served along with Hari Mirchi Ke Aloo and fresh yoghurt!!
