SABUDANA KHICHDI

Sabudana khichdi is an Indian dish very much popular in Maharashtra and other western parts of India. When you are on a "No grain diet", this is the perfect meal, healthy and tasty. 

Ingredients:

1. Sabudana (tapioca pearls) - one cup

2. Potato (boiled) - half cup

3. Rock salt (sendha namak) - This is used when you are fasting - take as per your taste

4. Peanuts (optional) - 2 tsp (roasted) 

5. Green chilli - 2 or as per taste

6. Ginger - 1 inch piece (chopped)

7. Ghee - 1 tsp

8. Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/2 tsp

9. Coriander leaves - 1 tsp (chopped)

10. Grated Coconut (optional) - 1 tsp 

Process :

1. Rinse the sabudana couple of times in running water until all the starch is washed away and soak them over night or 4-5 hours. To check if the sabudana has become soft of not, you should be easily able to press the sabudana and it should get mashed up easily. Do Strain very well as there should not be any extra water.

2. Take the potatoes, wash, peel and cut into pieces and boil them. Keep aside once they are done.

3. Take a frying pan, on a medium flame add ghee and cumin seeds, let them crackle and get browned. now add the chopped green chillies and ginger pieces and fry for few seconds on medium flame. Add boil potatoes and mix well. Since this recipe is used while fasting, so no use of any kind of masala.

4. Add sabudana pearls and on the low flame saute them stirring continuously for 4-5 minutes. Add rock salt. If you are using peanuts and grated coconuts, you can add them as well. I have not used any of them. Saute till the sabudana become translucent. Sprinkle coriander leaves and serve hot.

SABUDANA VADA

Sabudana vada is a popular crisp fried snack made with tapioca pearls (sago). It's a popular Maharashtrian snack that is eaten not only as a tea time snack but also as a fasting.  It is served with sweet yogurt. I keep on seeing people in my office used to have this as "a whole day meal" when they are fasting, and was always wondering "Fast me log khana kyun khate hai". Being a bong, I have always observed this in my family, we do not eat anything while fasting. Different people follow different cultures.

But these Sabudana vada are not too shabby, nothing too fancy and super easy to make, all you need to do is soak the sabudana overnight in water. Here is my recipe after my first experiment with these yummy vada's.  

Ingredients:

1. Sabudana (Tapioca pearls or sagu)- 1/2 cup (soaked over night)

2. Potato - 2 (boiled & mashed)

3. Salt to taste

4. Peanuts 1/4 cup (you can also skip this if not available)

5. Green chilli - 1 (finely chopped)

6. Fresh coriander leaves - 1 tsp (finely chopped)

7. Lemon juice - 1 tsp (optional)

8. Flour - 1 tsp (optional)

9. Cumin or Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp

Process:

1. To start with, if you are using peanuts, roast them until golden and aromatic in a frying pan and let them cool completely. Then grind to a coarse powder. Keep aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, mix together soaked sabudana, boiled and mashed potatoes, peanuts, green chillies, salt, cumin or fennel seeds (whichever you are using) and coriander leaves. Add lemon juice (optional) and mix them well.

2. Make small balls and then slightly flatten to make the vada. Do not make them too thin as they may break.

3. Heat oil in a pan and start frying them on medium flame, once they are golden and crisp, remove the flame.

4. Serve hot with sweet curd or any chutney of your choice.