Ingredients
1 cup tapioca seeds or sabudana, soaked for 4 hours or overnight
1/4 cup peanuts, roasted and ground
2 tbsp ghee or clarified butter
2 sprigs of curry leaves
1 green chilli, slit
1/2 tsp rock salt or sendha namak
1/2 tsp sugar, optional
2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup water
1/2 boiled potato, optional
Method
A pilaf prepared with sago or tapioca pearls, sabudana khichdi is traditionally prepared during the Indian festival of Navratri. It's a simple, flavourful dish which is also vegan and gluten-free.
1. Rinse sabudana under running water until water is clear. Make sure to wash it well to get rid of the excess starch, which leads to lumps being formed upon cooking.
2. Transfer the rinsed sabudana to a large bowl and add one cup of water.
3. Once sabudana is puffed up, drain excess water and empty it into another dry bowl.
4. To check if sabudana is ready to cook, press a pearl between your thumb and index finger. It should crush easily.
5. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Then, add cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds.
6. Next, add the diced potatoes and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring at regular intervals.
7. Add roasted peanuts and mix well. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
Note: Roast peanuts for 5 to 6 minutes on medium-high heat in a pan. Grind them, but not to a fine powder. Let it be coarse.
8. Then, add the green chili, curry leaves and cook for another minute.
9. Add sabudana to the pan along with salt and sugar.
10. Mix well until combined, roughly 2 to 3 minutes should be good.
11. Cook for few minutes until the sabudana pearls become translucent, stirring regularly in between. Remove pan from heat. Add lemon juice and coriander to garnish.
Note: Do not use a cast iron pan as it heats up fast and can cause the tapioca pearls to stick.
Serve sabudana khichdi hot with yoghurt.
Recipe courtesy: Swades vegetarian restaurant, Dubai. Read more about them here
