A pilaf made with sago/tapioca pearls, Sabudana Khichdi is commonly prepared in Indian during the fasting season of Navratri. It's a simple dish yet so flavorful. It's also vegan and gluten-free.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes
  • Total time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sabudana (180 grams, sago pearls)
  • 1 cup water (8 oz)
  • 1 tablespoon oil (use oil of choice, I used avocado oil)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 medium potato (200 grams, diced small, around 1 cup diced potatoes)
  • 2 tablespoons raw peanuts
  • 1-2 green chili (chopped, adjust to taste)
  • 6-7 curry leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste, use sendha namak if making this for fast)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)

Method

  1. Rinse sabudana under water until water turns clear. This is important to get rid of all the starch.
  2. Transfer the rinsed sabudana to a large bowl and add 1 cup water to it. No more.
  3. In the morning the sabudana would have soaked up all the water. But you still drain it using a colander just to get rid of any excess water.
  4. To check if sabudana is ready to cook, press a pearl between your thumb and index finger. It should smash easily. Set it aside.
  5. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for few seconds.
  6. Then add the diced potatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring often until potatoes are almost cooked. It's important to dice the potatoes small here so that cook quickly.
  7. Add the raw peanuts and for another 2-3 minutes.
  8. Then add the green chili, curry leaves and cook for 1 more minute.
  9. Add the drained sabudana to the pan along with salt and sugar. Mix until well combined.
  10. Cook for few minutes until most of the sabudana pearls become translucent, stirring once or twice. Do not cook it for a long time else it will become sticky.
  11. Remove pan from heat. Add lemon juice and cilantro and toss to combine.
  12. Serve sabudana khichdi hot with chilled yogurt.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.