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Sabudana Khichdi

Posted by iavogoodmeal on

Sneha: Another favorite from my childhood! Traditionally sabudana khichdi is eaten during religious holidays when people fast – so it is typically made without any onions or garlic which we abstain from on religious days. This was such a family favorite that nobody wanted to wait for fasting days and so my mom made this a lot for weekend brunch! After I got married, I made this for Karthik a few times and veggie lover that he is, he wanted to add mixed veggies to it. It adds more nutrients and is more filling but I’ll fully admit – I’m a purist and prefer the OG version! 

This makes a satisfying and hearty meal at any time of the day – brunch with a cup of chai is my favorite but you do you! A lot of Indian families have different ways of preparing sabudana but this Maharashtrian version from my mom is my favorite! 

Tips & Tricks

  • The key to getting the right texture of the tapioca pearls is to soak it for at least 6 hours but preferably overnight; this will avoid having soggy pearls that clump together
  • If you’re adding veggies,  can cook a half cup of frozen veggies in some oil separately and add it at the end to the sabudana

Recipe Information

  • Prep time: 6 hours
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 2-3 entree servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup tapioca pearls / sabudana
  • Roasted lightly salted peanuts – 5-6 tbsp (need to double check this)
  • 1 jalapeno seeded, diced
  • 1 small potato, boiled & diced (optional)
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds for tempering

Directions

  1. Wash and drain tapioca – let soak in just enough water to cover pearls minimum 6 hours (can also soak overnight)
  2. Boil potato if using, peel / dice and keep aside
  3. Grind peanuts till coarse powder forms – we use a spice grinder and pulse for 15 secs at a time for about one minute
  4. Mix peanuts into soaked tapioca – pearls should be moist but not soggy
  5. Heat a few tsp oil or ghee and add cumin seeds to temper 
  6. Add diced jalapeño and cook for 2 minutes, add tapioca/peanut mixture and stir to combine
  7. Cover and cook for about ~10 minutes opening / stirring occasionally
  8. Add salt to taste remembering peanuts are salted 
  9. If using potatoes, add towards the tail end of cooking, mix and cover 
  10. Tapioca pearls will turn translucent when cooked 
  11. Serve with yoghurt