Sabudana Khichdi

Not so often cooked food sometimes become the most sought for even if it is the simplest preparation. The recipe I am talking about is one of them. Simple, tasty but classified as fasting food in India.

In India 'fasting' for religious reasons is pretty common. With every 'vrat' (fasting) comes the norms what to eat and what to omit. While growing up I have seen my mother following these dietary guidelines for fasting days very religiously. Then, my mind could not grasp why something that we eat everyday suddenly becomes forbidden. Though even now I do not agree totally to the rituals of religious fasting but for me it has become more of  practicing control over my senses. On few fasting days like Janamashtami some real tasty dishes were made. Sabudana Khichdi was one of them. I liked it a lot but I guess never ate it more than couple of times in the year. After my marriage I do not reserve it for special fasting day but for more often breakfast ritual. 

There are few tricks to prepare sabudana also known as sago or tapioca. Soaking time is very important otherwise khichdi gets lumpy and sticky. No one likes that gooey mass. When I am making for breakfast I soak it the night before . On other occasions I try to soak it at least for 4 hours. Other thing important is to not use too much water to soak. Just  a centimeter above the sabudana level. We want all the water used to be soaked up by the sabudana. It will plump up by soaking water. 

 

Recipe

2 cups sabudana soaked overnight or for atleast 4 hours.

1 small potato diced very small

Chopped green chille to taste

1/4 cup Roasted and crushed peanuts

Chopped coriander

Lemon juice

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp crushed black pepper

1/2 tsp Sugar

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp oil

Method

Add oil to the shallow frying pan placed on medium heat. When oil is little hot add cumin and mustard seeds. Once they are done crackling add potato and green chilli.. Keep stirring the potato till it is soft and has golden edges. Sometime when I am presses for time I nuke the cubed potato with little water in microwave before putting them in pan.

Meanwhile fluff up the sabudana with fork and add salt, sugar, black pepper, lemon juice and give it  a good mix. We do not want to mix sabudana too much when it is cooking in the pan .

Once potatoes are done add roasted and crushed peanuts. They add a nice crunch and moreover added protein is always welcome.

Finally add the sabudana. Gently mix it and let it sit for few mins till you see it turn translucent  That is the indication that it is cooked. Granish with cilantro and serve hot. On this particular day I served a tall glass of Thandai milk alongside.