Sabudana Khichdi

My first memories of tasting Sabudana Khichdi are of my childhood when mom used to exchange recipes with her friends, and try out at home. It tasted well, but was always a bit sticky. But we used to scrape the wok with the spatula and relish the crunchy bits stuck to the wok.

After I got married, I went to kirtans( praise and worship) with my mom-in-law very often. Sabudana Khichdi, along with fruits and laddoos was distributed as prasad. That was the best Sabudana Khichdi I've ever tasted in my life.

Then, I sometimes ate Sabudana Khichdi in Maharashtrian restaurants but now, it is also my Krrish's favourite breakfast. So in the last couple of months, I've tried many recipes, and different ways of soaking sago and finally, this is how I like it best.

Ingredients:

1 cup sabudana (pearl sago)
1/2 cup roasted and coarsely ground peanuts
2 green chillies, finely chopped
10-12 curry leaves
1 tbsp. fresh grated coconut for garnishing
1 tsp. jeera (cummin seeds)
2 tbsp. cooking oil or ghee
1 large potato
2-3 sprigs of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
A pinch of sugar
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Put sago in a colander. Wash gently to remove the starch under running cold water.

2. Do not soak in a bowl of water. After rinsing well, cover and keep overnight or atleast for 5-6 hours.

3. After a couple of hours, check if the sago pellets are dry. Sprinkle some cold water, stir and leave covered.

4. Just before serving, uncover the sago and sprinkle salt, sugar and coarse peanut powder and mix well with hands or wooden spatula but gently.

5. Peel potato, wash and chop finely.

6. Heat oil in a kadai (wok), turn the heat down and add finely chopped chillies, curry leaves and cummin seeds and let them pop. Add the chopped potatoes and saute. Stir occasionally till potato is almost cooked.

7. Add sago beads, stir and cook uncovered on low heat. Stir occasionally. Make sure it does not stick to the wok. It should be done in about 8-10 minutes.

8. The sago pellets look transluscent when done, but do not continue cooking for a long time if they don't seem transluscent. Overcooked sabudana is hard and chewy.

9. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and fresh coconut, and a dash of fresh lime and serve piping hot with your favourite tea or coffee.

Do not worry if it turns sticky a couple of times. It tastes good even if you cannot add fresh coconut, or curry leaves. Having successfully tried it, you can double the quantity to serve a good portion each to 4-6 people.