Sabudana Khichadi

Sabudana khichadi is an Indian dish made with soaked sabudana (sago pearls). It  is a very popular Maharashtrian dish and is usually eaten on days when people keep a fast for religious reasons. Regular food like rice, wheat or vegetables cannot be eaten on fast days, however, some food items like sabudana (sago), rajgira (amaranth), potatoes,peanuts,fruits and milk are allowed. Not sure of the logic behind this.

I love sabudana khichadi and even though I don't fast I make it regularly as it is much loved by all of us.   I usually make it for brunch/lunch but it can be had for breakfast, snack or dinner as well. In all these years, I never really gave a thought to the nutritional aspects of sabudana khichadi and out of curiosity looked it up. This is what I found on Wikipedia. Sago is nearly pure carbohydrate and has very little protein, vitamins, or minerals. The addition of peanuts to Sabudana Khichadi adds to the protein content, making it a more balanced meal. It has a high calorific content, due to the quantity of starch and fat present. 

Soaking the sabudana correctly is the key to making the perfect khichadi. Sabudana is usually soaked overnight but I don't follow this simply because I don't plan ahead. It is usually in the morning that I decide to make khichadi so I just end up soaking sabudana for a couple of hours and this method works great for me. Here is the recipe for this delicious sabudana khichadi.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sabudana
• 1 potato boiled and diced 
• 4-5 green chilies chopped in small pieces
• 1/2 cup roasted peanut powder
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp ghee 
• 1 tsp lemon juice
•  Cilantro chopped fine
•  Salt to taste

Method

• Soak sabudana in water for 30 mins. I use a kitchen timer to time this as soaking sabudana longer will make the khichadi a gooey mess. Drain the sabudana and keep it aside covered  for at least 2-3 hours.

• Once you are ready to make the khichadi, add sugar, salt and roasted peanut powder to the sabudana and mix well. Keep aside.

• Heat ghee in a wok. Add cumin seeds, green chilies and potatoes and fry for some time.

• Add the sabudana mixture and keep stirring regularly on a low flame or stove setting till the sabudana is cooked. This will take about 6-8 mins. When the sabudana appears soft and translucent it is cooked. You can do the taste check to see if the sago pearls are cooked well. Do not cover the wok while cooking, this will ensure that the khichadi is soft and fluffy and does not become sticky.

• Add lime juice and stir well.

• Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot.