Sabudana Khichadi, It's easy!

 

Sabudana Khichadi is this nightmare recipe for a new bride in Maharashtrian families. It is a recipe that makes even experienced cooks slightly jittery. When it goes wrong either you have to feed it to the cow or toss it into the bin depending on where you live. Sabudana khichadi scares everyone, it becomes too hard if not soaked correctly or becomes rubbery after cooking if it retains water. The really skilled ensure sabudana is soaked to perfection and you can do it too.

In her first, post marriage interview with Gautam Rajadhyaksha, Madhuri Dixit had mentioned that Dr. Nene had requested her to make Sabudana Khichadi. Yes that same interview in Marathi when all Maharashtrians indulged in their laadki/ pet Madhuri. She dished out hard pearls and poor Dr. Nene being a gentleman ate it quitely. Imagine the gurgling, blushing new bride and the mesmerizing Madhuri in a pinkish saree. Every bride does not have her looks to be forgiven the disaster. Not that Dr. Nene must have done it. I am very sure this must have become a legend in the family told to everyone who cared to hear.

Most brides will call their MIL's, "Sasubai (err now they call her Mumma) jara ikade yaa", calling her into the kitchen to supervise the Sabudana Khichadi being made or may be on a long distance call asking her to hang on.

Well you don't need to do it no more if you follow this tutorial to the T.

Ingredients

1/4 kg Sabudana/ sabakki/ sago

3/4 cup roasted, deskinned and crushed peanuts

2 small potatoes cubed 

2 green chillies chopped 

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 tablespoons oil

salt and sugar to taste

Rule 1: Sabudana Khichadi needs preparation. You cannot make it instantly!

Wash Sabudana in water lightly. Decant the loose powder that comes out in the water. Now soak it in water. The water should be just about the same level as the sabudana. Leave it overnight.

In the early morning next day, drain it on a mesh. Leave it for couple of hours. If the globules feel wet they cannot be used for cooking. It will make the Khichadi rubbery. So for 1/2 hr spread it on a kitchen cloth napkin/ newspaper/ thick absorbent paper. Let the sabudana dry up a bit. The perfectly soaked sabudana should feel plump and soft when squeezed between the thumb and fingers.

Once that is done. Feel confident that you will make a Sabudana Khichadi like a pro. Now when you decide to cook get all the other ingredients together. Mix the crushed peanuts with the sabudana. This will remove the final traces of extra moisture if any.

Heat the kadhai. Add oil and let the cumin brown in it. Follow in with the green chilies and potato. Toss around a bit to give it an oil coat. Now add the perfectly plump Sabudana coated with crushed peanuts. Mix well. Cover and cook on slow for 5-7 mins. Remove the lid. Now the globules would have started turning translucent from the original milky white. This is the sign it is cooking. Next add the salt and sugar as per taste. We like sugar to give it a balance, you can skip it if you don't like it. Mix well again and cover. Let it cook for another 5-7 mins. Once all the globules looks translucent you can switch of the heat and leave the cover on for 5 more mins letting the flavors absorb in.

Remove the lid and serve it while still warm. Since this tutorial was planned I made Mishti Doi to go with it but you can serve it with plain curd. Dad likes chutney too so made a coconut-cilantro-chili one.

Remember fresh and warm is the best way to have Sabudana khichadi, it keeps drying out as the hours pass by. As kids who cared! Whether we were at home or not if it was made for the ladies who are fasting we had to have our share. It would be made with more than a kilo of sabudana and atleast 1/4 kg peanuts and 1/2 kg potatoes in it. Eight Vati/ steel bowls would be rationed and slid into the fridge for us to enjoy when we would return from school or college. That did not mean we had to fast. I still don't fast instead now I breakfast on it!

This post is for Moonbeam for encouraging me to write and am slipping in a request here :) "Will you do a guest post for me?"