Sabudana and sago pearls are used loosely to refer to the same product but they are different. Sago is an edible starch that is made from the pith of an array of tropical palm trees whereas tapioca pearls/ sabudana on the other hand are made with tapioca or the starch from cassava, a root crop. It is a good source of carbohydrates, and probably is the reason why it is included as part of fasting foods.
There are different norms as to what is included or excluded in fasting. What I've understood over the years is that each family and religion have their own norms. In my ammas house we would add coriander leaves, curry leaves and a dash of lime too on top along with the other ingredients. I have experimented with red chilli powder and adding veggies too. .. but all that for a later discussion.
This recipe is my mother in laws recipe with only jeera/cumin , green chillies , coconut and peanuts add. It's a favorite of my husband. I have learnt tricks to make the perfect sabudana khichdi from my MIL over the years. My husband cant stop eating this when I make it. Will share tips of how to soak and special tips in notes.
Ingredients
Sabudana- 2 cups
Peanut powder / whole fried - 2 tbsps
Potatoes - 1
Green Chilli - 2/3 (depending on your spice requirement)
Jeera - 1 tsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Oil - 1tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Coconut - scraped 2 tbsp
Method
1) Wash and soak the sabudana overnight.
2) Boil the potatoes and dice in small cubes. ( You can also fry and keep separately. Don't forget to add a bit of salt while frying the potatoes)
3) In a pan** add ghee plus oil , heat and add green chillies and jeera. Let is splutter then add the soaked sabudana, peanut powder / whole fried peanuts and potatoes, salt, sugar and mix well. If you are adding fried potatoes add it near the end and give a good mix.
4) Cook till the sabudana gets translucent. Have to keep stirring in between or else the sabudana will stick to each other and become a lumpy mess.
5) You can add whole peanuts and cashewnuts for taste.
6)Serve hot garnished with coconut.
Notes
A)Tips to get the perfect sabudana everytime. I have two methods both of which yield the same results.
Method 1.
Wash the sabudana about 5 to 6 times or till the white residue stops coming. Then soak with water 1 cm above the sabudana. Preferred is to soak overnight or else minimum 6 hours will be needed to ensure all water is soaked up. You can check in between if you wish to see if it has become dry and no water is left at the bottom.
Method 2.
Wash the sabudana about 5 to 6 times and then soak in a lot of water for half an hour. Drain all the water , keep the sabudana in a sieve and leave overnight.
B) Check the sabudana ..nylon is for making papads. This is the other variety for khichdi and vada. Ask your vendor before purchasing.
C) Preferably use a non stick pan. The sabudana does not stick in such pan. However if your using an aluminium or copper bottom pan you have to constantly keep stirring to avoid forming lumps of sabudana. In this case you add the peanut powder also early on as it prevents the sabudana from sticking
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