Sabudana Khichdi 101 and a litany of rules

“I was on a high after mastering the art of making sabudana khichdi from a friend of mine.”

For the longest time I could never get the consistency of the sabudana khichdi right. I searched the net, I consulted friends and I even woke up at 5 AM to watch my sister-in-law make the khichdi. I experimented with different soaking methods over a week. An empty jar of sago later, I was no closer to making a soft khichdi then well… before the full jar.
Then one day, after eating one of the best s.khichdi at my friend R’s house, I told her I wasn’t leaving till she taught me how to cook it. She graciously took me under her wing and taught me. We soaked the sago together and I went back the next morning to learn how to make it.

These are the sago pearls of wisdom she imparted me with and now I pay them forward, once again! I did them once before here.

Pearl No 1: Wash the sabudana twice in plenty of water. Soak it overnight with ¼ inch of water on top of the sabudana. Cover the pot and forget about it till next day morning.

Pearl No 2: Use as little oil/ghee as necessary. Too much oil/ghee will make the sago pearls harder.

Pearl No 3: Once all the ingredients in the karahi are mixed, put the heat on low, cover the pot and forget about it for at least 10 min.

Ingredients:

1 cup Sabudana, soaked overnight or at least an hour
1 potato (boiled or raw), cubed

1 tbsp ghee/ oil

¾ cup roasted crushed peanuts

1–2 green chillis

1 tsp jeera (cumin)

Salt to taste

Lemon juice and cilantro to garnish

Method:

Soak the sabudana overnight. The sago pearls should have become soft and almost doubled in size.
Heat 1 tblsp oil/ghee in a karahi. Add the jeera. Once it starts to splutter, add the chopped green chillis and the potatoes.

Meanwhile, mix the sabudana and the roasted peanut powder together with salt and a pinch of sugar.

As soon as the potatoes are cooked, add the sabudana mixture, stir and mix well.

Check for salt and chili. At this point, you can add more salt or red chili powder if needed. Cover the karahi, turn the heat to low and walk away for 10-15 min.

Come back and check. The sago pearls should be soft and plump by this time. Turn off the heat, sprinkle some lemon juice, garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Alternative cooking in the microwave:

Add the cooked potatoes and green chillis to the sago mix and pop it in the microwave. Cook on high for a minute and then covered for another 30 seconds.

Note 1: If the soaked sago turns out sticky, it had too much water. Next time, use a little less.
Note 2: Do not be tempted to keep on checking on the sago during the soaking process. Walk away.

Note 3: Excessive handling of sago during the cooking process will make it sticky. On the other hand, if you feel the sago is a little dry, sprinkle a few drops of water or some lemon juice and cover. The steam will soften the sago.

Rohini’s Sabudana (Tapioca) Khichdi

This recipe is courtesy of my friend Rohini. For the longest time I could never get the consistency of the sabudana right. It would either be too dry or too lumpy. Thanks to Rohini not any more. According to her there are three important tips to making the softest, non-lumpy sabudana khichdi and they all work for me.
Tip No 1: Wash the sabudana twice in plenty of water. Then soak it overnight with ¼ inch of water on top of the sabudana. Cover the pot and forget about it till next day morning.
Tip No 2: Do not put more oil/ ghee than necessary. Too much oil will not make the khichdi taste any better, instead it will end up spoiling the texture.
Tip No 3: Once all the ingredients in the karahi are mixed, put the heat on low, cover the pot and forget about it for at least 10 min.

1 cup Sabudana
1 potato (boiled or raw)
¾ cup roasted crushed peanuts
1 – 2 green chillis
1 tsp jeera (cumin)
Salt to taste
Lemon slices and cilantro to garnish

Soak the sabudana overnight. (Ref to Tip No 1 above). It should almost double in size and the kernels should not be sticky. If they are, you put too much water.
Heat 1 tblsp oil/ghee in a karahi. Add the jeera. Once it starts to splutter, add the chopped green chillis and the potatoes.
Meanwhile, mix the sabudana and the roasted peanut powder together with salt and a pinch of sugar.
As soon as the potatoes are cooked, add the sabudana mixture, stir and mix well.
Check for salt and chilli. At this point, you can add more salt or red chilli powder if needed. Cover the karahi, turn the heat to low and walk away for 10-15 min.
Come back and check. The khichdi should be soft and yummy by this time. Turn off the heat, sprinkle some lemon juice, garnish with cilantro and serve hot.