Sabudana Thalipeeth
Crispy-soft sabudana thalipeeth (upvas / farali flatbread) made with soaked tapioca pearls, mashed potato, crushed peanuts, and sendha namak, pan-fried with modest oil for vrat mornings.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Colander
- Nonstick or well-seasoned tawa
- Parchment paper or plastic sheet
- Spatula
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 cup medium sabudana 160 g tapioca pearls, rinsed
- 3/4 to 1 cup water for soaking, just enough to cover
- 2 medium potatoes about 1 1/2 cups tightly packed, boiled, peeled, and mashed warm
- 1/3 cup roasted peanuts 45 g, coarsely crushed
- 1 to 2 green chilies finely chopped, to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 inch ginger grated, optional if your family allows ginger on vrat
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional, balances the chili
- 1 to 2 tablespoons rajgira atta or singhare ka atta amaranth or water chestnut flour, only if needed to bind
- rock salt (sendha namak) to taste; use regular salt on non-fasting days
For cooking
- 2 to 3 tablespoons peanut oil or ghee for pan-frying, about 1 tsp per side per thalipeeth
Instructions
Soak the sabudana
- Rinse the sabudana under cold water, rubbing gently between your fingers to wash off excess starch. Drain.
- Place in a bowl and add just enough water to cover the pearls. Soak 4 hours, or overnight for medium US-grocery sabudana, until each pearl is soft and translucent through the center. Drain very well in a colander. Do not leave standing water in the bowl, or the dough will turn gluey.
Mix the dough
- In a large bowl, combine drained sabudana, warm mashed potatoes, crushed peanuts, green chili, cumin seeds, ginger if using, cilantro, lemon juice, sugar if using, and sendha namak.
- Mix with your hand until the mixture holds together when pressed. It should feel soft and slightly sticky, not wet. If it smears and will not hold a ball, sprinkle in 1 tablespoon rajgira or singhare flour and mix again. Add a second tablespoon only if needed. Too much flour makes the thalipeeth dense and dry.
- Divide into 6 to 8 equal portions. Keep covered so the surface does not dry out while you cook.
Pat and cook
- Heat a tawa over medium heat. Lightly grease it. Place one portion on a lightly oiled parchment sheet or plastic sheet. Wet your fingers and pat into a 4 to 5 inch circle, about 1/4 inch thick. Poke a small hole in the center with your finger. That hole helps heat move through and gives you a spot to drizzle a little oil.
- Flip the parchment onto the hot tawa (or lift the circle carefully with a spatula) and peel the sheet away. Drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon oil or ghee in the center hole and around the edges.
- Cook 3 to 4 minutes until the underside is golden and the edges look set. Flip gently. Add another 1/2 teaspoon oil around the sides. Cook 3 to 4 minutes more until both sides are crisp and spotted golden. If a thalipeeth starts to tear when you flip, the dough needed a touch more binder or the first side was not set yet. Give the next one another minute before flipping.
- Repeat with the remaining portions, greasing the tawa lightly each time. Serve hot.
Notes
Drain like you mean it: Excess soak water is the number one reason sabudana thalipeeth sticks and breaks. After soaking, leave the pearls in the colander a few minutes and press lightly with a spoon.
Warm potato helps bind: Mash potatoes while still warm so they mix smoothly into the pearls. Cold, lumpy potato leaves dry pockets that crack on the tawa.
Binder is optional insurance: Many batches need no flour at all when the potato-to-sabudana ratio is right. Keep rajgira or singhare flour nearby for sticky days, especially in humid kitchens.
Vrat vs everyday: For fasting, stick to sendha namak and peanut oil or ghee. On regular days, table salt is fine, and a side of ketchup is fair game (not for strict vrat).
Make-ahead: Soak sabudana the night before and boil potatoes ahead. Mix the dough just before cooking so it does not weep water as it sits.
Storage: Leftover cooked thalipeeth keep in an airtight container in the fridge up to 2 days. Reheat on a dry tawa so the crust crisps again. The raw dough does not keep well once mixed.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!