Sabudana Khichdi (Tapioca Pilaf)
Sabudana Khichdi (Tapioca Pilaf) is loved by everyone in my family. It is the comfort food that is consumed during the fasting days. Sabudana is Indian name for Tapioca. Tapioca is small round white pearls that have many health benefits. It is rich in Protein, Vitamin K and Calcium, that increases muscles and bone growth. It may not be the best food for weight loss, as it is rich in carbohydrates.
Navratri is the festival where Goddess Durga is worshipped for nine days and nine nights in different forms. “Nav” means Nine and “Ratri” means Night. It’s a festival of celebration, where everyone plays “Garba”. Garba is an Indian form of dance. Many of us also observe fast for nine days, where we don’t eat our regular food. On this very first day of Navratri, I am going to share Sabudana Khichdi (Tapioca Pilaf) recipe that can be eaten during these fasting days.
What is Sabudana Khichdi (Tapioca Pilaf)?
Sabudana Khichdi is a traditional Indian breakfast in Mumbai made with tapioca and boiled potatoes. It is then flavored with cumin, curry leaves, and roasted peanuts. Growing up, our neighbors will always bring me some khichdi as it is one of my favorite Maharashtrian food. There is no right or wrong way to make this khichdi because this same recipe can be prepared in many different ways varying from region to region.
I have a continuous battle with my husband because of sabudana khichdi. He likes sticky and clumpy khichdi, while I prefer to have a non-sticky khichdi. Because of its starch content, it tends to stick together while cooking. This is why it is very important to use coarsely grounded peanut powder. It begins with dry roasting peanuts for a few minutes and then using food processor make a coarse powder. Another important thing to watch is how you soak your sabudana. Rinse sabudana very well to wash all the starch and soak them for 4-5 hours.
You can eat sabudana Khichdi by itself or serve with chilled plain yogurt or buttermilk. It can be enjoyed at any time of the day. You can also make sabudana vada from leftover sabudana khichdi, which is a perfect tea-time snack.
Also, checkout Kesar Mango Lassi which is perfect for any fasting days.
Sabudana Khichdi (Tapioca Pilaf)
Ingredients
Prep Sabudana night before.
- 1 cup Sabudana (Tapioca)
- Water, as needed.
For Khichdi
- 1 tbsp Vegetable oil or Ghee
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 7-8 Curry leaves
- 1 tbsp Finely chopped Green Chillies
- ½ cup Coarsely grounded peanut powder
- 1 Large Potato
- 2 tsp Salt
- ½ cup Cilantro, finely chopped
Instructions
Soaking and prepping sabudana
- Rinse sabudana under running tap water until most of the starch is washed away and water is clear. Soak sabudana in water and keep it aside for 4-5 hours. Pour enough water to submerge sabudana completely. Using more water will make your khichdi sticky and gooey.
- Sabudana have swelled and puffed double in size. Take them out in colander and let it drain completely.
- Add peanut powder and salt to sabudana pearls and keep it aside.
Preparing Khichdi
- Heat ghee in a medium non-stick skillet. Add cumin seeds and let it crackle. Then add curry leaves and finely chopped green chilies. Let it saute for 30 seconds.
- Next, add sabudana and peanut mixture to a pan. Mix gently until everything is well-combined. Let it cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until the sabudana is clear and transparent. Sabudana pearls become chewy if cooked for longer. It may start sticking to one another.
- Once the sabudana is cooked, add boiled and peeled potatoes. You won't have to cook potatoes for too long, since they are already cooked. Make sure to cook potatoes with a pinch of salt.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve with chilled plain yogurt or buttermilk. Enjoy it any time of the day.
Notes
- Soak sabudana in just enough water until all the pearls are submerged. Soaking in too much water will make khichdi sticky and gooey.
- Roasting peanuts gives nutty flavor to khichdi.
- Make sure to use a non-stick pan, so that the pearls don’t get stuck to the pan.
- Avoid mixing too much.
- Do not overcook it. Overcooking will make it chewy.
Did you try this recipe?
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