Sabudana Khichdi is a popular dish from the Maharastrian Cuisine. It is made using sabudana/tapioca pearls, crushed peanuts and seasoned with cumin seeds, green chillies and ginger.
It is quite a filling meal, served either for breakfast or even as a main meal for lunch/dinner especially during Vrat (or fasting done during Indian religious festivals).
Though it is made with simple ingredients/staples that you will find in most Indian kitchens, it is quite flavorful and delicious.
Though it is simple, you might need a few tries (especially if you are beginner cook or not familiar with this particular dish) to get a perfect khichdi. It did take me a few tries to nail it. I hope the tips I have shared through out the post will help you to get this perfect.
Ingredient Details
Ghee/Oil - This is a gluten-free dish. You can either use ghee or oil for the initial tadka/seasoning. To make it vegan use oil instead of ghee. If you are not following the vegan diet, try this with ghee, it tastes fabulous.
Tip: Do not use too much oil/ghee for the recipe.
Potatoes - I usually have boiled potatoes handy in my refrigerator. They are quite useful to whip up a quick snack/dip/paratha.
Sabudana/Tapioca Pearls - I buy these from my local Indian grocer. These are starchy pearls made from tapioca and are used in Indian cuisine. I have used the same pearls in the kheer recipe.
Tip: Use good quality sabudana pearls.
Spices/Herbs/Aromatics - Cumin seeds used in tadka/seasoning help with digestion and add an earthy flavor to the dish. Green chillies are used for the heat and can be adjusted to suit your taste. This is not-a-very-heavy-on-spice-dish, so very few spices that produce heat are used. Ginger also adds flavor and warmth.
I have used freshly grated coconut and finely chopped cilantro for garnish.
Tip: This is not a spicy dish, so do not overload with green chillis/ginger.
Peanuts - are important to this dish, adds the required nutty protein. I crush the peanuts using a small spice grinder/mixer-grinder/food processor. I do keep a few of coarsely crushed to add some bite & texture.
Tip: I recommend roasting and coarsely powdering peanuts fresh every time.
Salt & Sugar - Adjust to suit your taste. These along with a little drizzle of lime/lemon juice at the end, add a sweet/salty/tangy flavor profile to the dish.
Equipment
This is a stove recipe for making this khichdi. For making this recipe, I recommend using a nonstick skillet.
For about 1-1.5 cups of sabudana, I use my 11.5-inch nonstick skillet.
Tip: Use a skillet/frying pan large enough to hold the quantity of sabudana. Trick is not to overcrowd the skillet. Keep stirring to prevent the tapioca pearls from sticking to each other and to the bottom of the pan.
a large bowl to soak and rest sabudana.
large strainer/colander to drain the water
measuring cups/spoons/weighing scale (optional, if you can cook intuitively :))
cooking spoons
serving dish
Step By Step Instructions
Full recipe + measurements + video can be found in the recipe card below.
prep-work
Rinse sabudana 3-4 times in water. Soak in about 3-4 cups of water for about 45 minutes. Drain and let it rest overnight [for best results].
Tip: There are many recipes (which I have tried) that gives various ways to prep sago including soaking sago in equal quantity of water. Somehow, they have not worked for me. Soaking in excess water for at least 45 minutes, draining it and then letting the sago rest overnight is the best way that has worked for me. Hope it works for you too if you have failed with other suggestions.
Boil, peel, and roughly chop potatoes
Roast, shell, and coarsely powder peanuts.
Once the sabudana has rested overnight, add salt, sugar, and crushed peanuts and mix well. Break any chunks of sabudana.
Tip: If there is excess moisture in the sabudana pearls, they will turn mushy and stick together to create a gloopy mess when cooked. Mixing the crushed peanuts with the soaked sago pearls (a tip shared by my sister) reduces any excess moisture.
cooking
Heat oil/ghee in a non-stick pan on medium heat.
Add cumin seeds and fry for 30 seconds.
Add potatoes and cook for a minute. Cook for a few more minutes if you want slightly crispy potatoes. Next, add the green chillies and ginger and cook for another minute.
Add the sabudana-peanut mixture and cook until the tapioca pearls turn translucent.
Turn of heat. [Note: If you find any sago pearls, are uncooked/not squishy/translucent, then cover with a lid for 2-3 minutes].
Serve hot , garnished with grated coconut/finely chopped cilantro.
What are the best peanuts to use in the recipe?
Peanuts from your local Indian grocer is good for the recipe.
I have also used Spanish peanuts from US grocery stores and they are pretty amazing in the recipe.
I do not recommend using the pre-roasted, shelled peanuts to use in the recipe. In my opinion, they leave a kind of after taste which I personally do not like.
Serving Suggestions
I usually serve this for breakfast. And on vrat days, this can be served as a main meal as well.
Garnished with freshly grated coconut and finely chopped cilantro.
If you like, serve with lemon wedges so that you can drizzle a little lemon juice if you like tangy taste.
Serve with some plain or seasoned (with salt) yogurt.
Can You Make This Without Potatoes?
You can make this tapioca pearl/sabudana khchdi without potatoes.
Simple omit them in the recipe. Instead of adding potatoes in step 3 (cooking subsection), add the sabudana mixture and proceed with the next steps.
Leftovers?
I like making this fresh.
Leftovers can be stored in airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in a microwave until thoroughly heated. Cover with a damp towel to prevent sabudana/tapioca pearls from drying out.
Meal Planning Tips
Boil potatoes ahead of time.
Roast, shell (and if possible powder) the peanuts ahead of time.
Indian Breakfast Recipes
Additional Notes
- 1 CUP = 250 ML. (US cups are typically 240 ml. You can use US cups with no significant change to the dish).
- 1 TEASPOON = 5ML; 1 TABLESPOON= 15 ML
- Grams to cups measurements – we strive to provide these conversions as accurately as possible. There might be some slight variations depending on the brand, weighing scale, etc.
- This serves 3-4. Adjust the serving size to suit your dietary needs. [This is a carb-heavy dish.]
- Adjust the spice, especially green chillies, used to suit your taste.
- Use a skillet/frying pan large enough to hold the quantity of sabudana. Trick is not to overcrowd the skillet. Keep stirring to prevent the tapioca pearls from sticking to each other and to the bottom of the pan.
Frequently Asked Questions
I usually soak it for 45 minutes and then let it rest overnight to get the best results. If you do not have time to soak overnight, 45 minutes, and then let it rest for 4-6 hours.
Sabudana is called Sago or Tapioca Pearls in English.
1. Usually during the Vrat days, onion and garlic are not consumed. This recipe is a no-onion, no-garlic recipe and hence is a good one to keep handy for Vrat.
2. Some people do not eat grains for some of the Hindu pooja/ritual days. This recipe does not use any grains in its preparation, do it can cater to those special diets.
3. This is quite a filling and calorie-rich food, that keeps you fuller for a longer duration. It has a good dose of carbs and proteins.
Sabudana Khichdi
Ingredients
- 250 grams (1½ cups) sabudana
- 150-200 grams (¾ cup) potatoes
- 80 grams (½ cup) peanuts
- 1½ teaspoon sugar
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon ghee/oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera
- 1-2 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1-2 teaspoon minced green chillies; to taste
- 2-3 tablespoon grated coconut
- 2-3 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
- lemon wedges to serve
Equipment
- for about 1-1½ cups of sabudana I use my 11.5 inch non stick skillet.
- a large bowl to soak sabudana.
- large strainer/colander to drain the water
- measuring cups/spoons/weighing scale optional, if you can cook intuitively 🙂
- cooking spoons
- serving dish
Instructions
how to make sabudana khichdi
prep-work
- Rinse sabudana 3-4 times in water. Soak in about 3-4 cups of water for about 45 minutes. Drain and let it rest for overnight.
- Boil, peel and roughly chop potatoes
- Roast, shell and coarsely powder peanuts.
- Once the sabudana has rested overnight, add salt, sugar and crushed peanuts and mix well. Break any chunks of sabudana.
cooking
- Heat oil/ghee in a non-stick pan on medium heat.
- Add cumin seeds and fry for 30 seconds.
- Add potatoes and cook for a minute. If you like crispier potatoes, cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.
- Next, add the green chillies and ginger and cook for another minute.
- Add the sabudana-peanut mixture and cook until the tapioca pearls turn translucent.
- Turn of heat. [Note: If you find any sago pearls, are uncooked/not squishy/translucent, then cover with a lid for 2-3 minutes].
- Serve hot , garnished with grated coconut and or finely chopped cilantro.
Video
Notes
- 1 CUP = 250 ML. (US cups are typically 240 ml. You can use US cups with no significant change to the dish).
- 1 TEASPOON = 5ML; 1 TABLESPOON= 15 ML
- Grams to cups measurements – we strive to provide these conversions as accurately as possible. There might be some slight variations depending on the brand, weighing scale, etc.
- Adjust the serving size to suit your dietary needs. This served 3-4 people. This is a carb heavy dish.
- Adjust the spice used to suit your taste.
- Use a skillet/frying pan large enough to hold the quantity of sabudana. Trick is not to overcrowd the skillet. Keep stirring to prevent the tapioca pearls from sticking to each other and to the bottom of the pan.
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