Sabudana Khichdi Recipe

Sabudana or Sago in Hindi is a full of starch, extremely low in fat and protein. Sago/Sabudana pearls looks similar to Tapioca but both are different. Sago is made from the starch extracted from the pith (center) of the sago palm stems, while the Tapioca is produced from the dried cassava (manioc) root. In India, sabudana is used widely in fasting dishes and other recipes too. My mom makes sabudana khichadi, sabudana vada, papad, kheer, name a few.

Back in India at my home like many houses, every Monday the sabudana khichdi would light-meal of my mother and sister. It’s almost fix meal for them. The reason for Monday fasting may vary from community to community. In our area, unmarried women do fast to get an ideal husband. Although, there are numerous myths associated with a particular fast. So you understand, why they my sister used to keep fast and would eat sabudana khichdi. ;) Just kidding here. :D

But, I can’t help myself but remember my sister whenever I prepare Sabudana khichdi because she loves it!

Here is very simple recipe. Since this dish can be eaten in fasting days so no garlic-no onions. It’s very low fat meal and totally vegan!

My one time room-partner and dear friend Shreya, asked me for Sabudana Khichdi recipe. Here it is for you. Hope you liked it. :)

Sabudana pearls – before and after soaking time

 Print Recipe!

Sabudana Khichdi Recipe: (serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 C Sabudana/Sago (can be found at Indian grocers)
1 small potato, peeled and chopped into small bites – or use boiled potato
1 tsp oil + 1 tsp Ghee
1 tsp Cumin seeds
few curry leaves
1/2 tsp Red chilli powder – or to taste
1 small green or red chilli, chopped
Rock salt/ sendha namak or regular salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp peanuts, toasted, skinned, crushed – use more if you wish
a dash of lemon juice
1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped

How to:

Wash sabudana pearls 2-3 times with cold water and soak with very little water, with level coming upto 1″ above the sabudana, for at least 5-6 hours or overnight. They will become double in volume and they should be separate by each grain but soft to touch and fluffy.

To sabudana, add salt, red chili powder and sugar to taste. Keep aside. Heat oil+ghee in a pan (the non-stick would be ideal), add cumin seeds, let them crackle and turn golden brown, add curry leaves, green chilli and chopped potato. Sprinkle some salt over it. Cover and let it cook on low heat for few minutes until the potato cubes are fully cooked.  Add sabudana mixture and mix well with your best spatula for nice result. Cook it just 2 mins or so on LOWEST heat. Remove from the fire and add dash of fresh lemon juice, crushed peanuts and cover it for 2 mins. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve immediately with dollop of yogurt, if you wish.

Notes & Tips:

* There are 2-3 types sabudana available in market. For this recipe, always choose the medium pearl sabudana, similar size of black pepper corns.

* Soaking time may differ because it really depends on quality of sabudana and water. I remember very correctly that my mom used to soak the sabudana in early morning of Monday if she is going to prepare for dinner. While here in Australia, I found that soaking time about 4-5 hours is enough. So, after some trial and error, you’ll know the perfect soaking time.

* Be careful to add water while soaking. It is important not to over-soak. If you have added more water, your khichdi will be soggy and sticky.

* Don’t tempt to add more oil in tadka as sabudana sucks no oil. You can use your non-stick pan here as the overall cooking time is very short.

* A dash of lemon juice will help sabudana to prevent from getting sticky and soggy.

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