Sabudana/ sago/ tapioca pearl khichdi is the most popular dish made during fasting season like Navratri, Mahashivratri, Ekadashi, etc. But I don’t wait for the fasting season to indulge in this dish!
Sabudana khichdi is a simple, yet flavorful dish. It is very easy to make and just requires skills to separate sabudana, but you’ll learn it over time with practice. Don’t worry if your khichdi has clumps. As it will still be delicious.
In India, you’ll find food trucks just serving Farali (fasting friendly) snacks during fasting season. Farali food also includes a potato chips, fried masala peanuts, moraiya(Barnyard millet) khichdi, and shakkariya (sweet potato) shiro (halwa). They get big lines forming during fasting season and also get out of stock for the most days in Navratri season.
Sabudana khichdi
Ingredients
- 1 cup Sabudana or sago/tapioca pearls
- 1 cup Water
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1 inch Ginger grated or 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1-2 small chili chopped
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 2-3 Curry leaves
- 1 medium sized Potato diced into small pieces
- 8-10 Raw peanuts optional
- ½ tsp Sugar optional
- ½ tsp Lemon juice
- Salt to taste if making for fasting add rock salt
- Cilantro for garnishing
Instructions
Soaking sabudana
- Rinse sabudana under water until water runs clean
- Transfer sabudana to a bowl and add water to it
- Soak sabudana for 3-5 hours or overnight
- To check if sabudana is soaked, take a pearl and press it between thumb and index finger if it is crushes easily, it is ready to use
- Sabudana would have soaked up all the water but just transfer it to a colander to remove all access water and keep it aside
Making khichdi
- Heat oil in a medium-sized nonstick pan
- Add cumin seeds and let them sizzle
- Add potatoes and cook it for 3-4 minutes
- Add raw peanuts and roast it. Keep stirring in between
- When peanuts get lightly brown and potatoes are cooked, add ginger and mix it
- Cook it for a minute. Add green chilies and curry leaves sauté it for a minute
- Add soaked sabudana along with salt and sugar. Give it a stir.
- Cook it for few minutes till sabudana starts becoming translucent. Keep stirring in between.
- Remove the pan from stove add lemon juice and mix it.
- Serve sabudana khichdi with chilled yogurt, if you like add some sugar in yogurt, potato chips, and a lemon wedge.
- Garnish it with coriander
Notes
- It is important to clean sabudana and remove starch.
- Soaking time differs depending on your sabudana so feel free to soak accordingly.
- If you are not making for fasting you can add ½ tsp turmeric powder while adding salt and sugar.
- Immediately remove the pan from stove once sabudana starts getting translucent. If you cook it more it will become sticky.