Sabudana Khichdi makes for an ideal fasting meal during special pujas. Sabudana, or tapioca pearls, are high in carbohydrates and so they give much-needed energy. The special Sabudana Khichdi is made with washed and soaked sabudana that is flavoured with spices and cooked with roasted peanuts, which is ground to a powder, and grated coconut, which gives that extra crunch to the dish. The peanut powder and coconut complement the sabudana quite well. Finally, garnish the khichdi with chopped coriander leaves to give the final taste. Sabudana doesn't have any taste of its own, apart from the fact that it has a chewy texture, so it needs to be flavoured with various kinds of ingredients.
The most important step in cooking the khichdi is washing the sabudana well to remove excess starch. Also, the sabudana should be soaked for not more than four hours, in not too much water, but just enough to cover the sabudana. By removing the excess starch and soaking it well, the sabudana becomes light and non-sticky, which is important to make the perfect sabudana khichdi as the sabudana should not be lumpy and stuck together.
Sabudana facts
Sabudana, also known as sago or tapioca pearls, is extracted from tapioca roots and then made into small pearls. Sometimes, Sabudana Khichdi is also made with potatoes and while that adds a nice taste to the dish, it also raises the carb content as sabudana is already quite high in carbohydrates. Sabudana is rich in calcium and contains other nutrients such as fibre, iron, magnesium, and quite a bit of potassium.
Sabudana is quite versatile and can be made into different recipes, from vadas to sweet dishes, like kheer, and is also used in soups. Here is a recipe for Sabudana Khichdi:
Ingredients
- 1 cup sabudana
- 1 tablespoon peanuts (peeled)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 4-5 curry leaves
- Refined oil
- Two chopped green chilies
- A few coriander leaves
- Salt
- 1/2 cup grated coconut
- Water
Method
- Rinse the sabudana in a bowl of water
- Then drain the sabudana and wash again to remove the starch, repeat this step if necessary until satisfied that it has been washed well
- Add enough water to cover the sabudana, but ensure that it is not too much, and soak the sabudana for approximately three hours or till the sabudana is soft
- Remove excess water from the sabudana
- In a pan, roast the peanuts
- In a mixer, grind the peanuts into a powder
- In a pan, saute the cumin seeds and curry leaves in two teaspoons of oil, add the chopped green chilis, the grated coconut, and the peanut powder and mix well
- Add salt to taste and mix
- Then add the sabudana and mix well, add the chopped coriander and mix
- Serve the sabudana Khichdi hot
Sabudana Khichdi is eaten during special occasions such as Shivratri, Navratri, and Ekadashi, but it can also be served for lunch or dinner.
