Sabudana Thalipeeth

Since the 31st was a holiday I stayed up reading on the net late into the night, waking up at 10.30 am. It is a feat for me because I am early riser. As soon as I woke up I noticed on the Kalanirnay panchang that it was Hartalika on the day. I thought any ways half the day I have slept through so the rest of the day I might as well fast. I had soaked sabudana/ sago the previous night thinking that it is Chaturthi on the 31st, I completely forgot that it was Eid on the day and so we had holiday. Thus I decided to fast for Hartalika. I made Microwave Sabudana Khichadi as shown by Nupur. It turned out great and was done in just 2 teaspoons of oil and have concluded that this is the only way sabudana khichadi should be made! No worries about it becoming a gooey inedible mess.

Later on the 1st I ran out of sabudana and I was supposed to fast for Ganesh Chaturthi. Early in the morning as we were preparing for the pooja, I requested Dad to go down to Reliance fresh and get sabudana as soon as they open up. Else we would have to eat just Potato bhaaji for the half day fast. My Dad at the stroke of 8 ran down and got the sabudana. I immediately soaked it in luke warm water knowing that I could let it rest for a cool 4 hrs before I made it into anything. I noticed the luke warm water had kind of cooked tha sabudana a bit and I had to drain the extra water to avoid getting sticky sabudana. I decided to make Sabudana Thalipeeth. I think this thalipeeth came into being when the sabudana decided to take revenge on the khichadi maker. The recipe is forgiving, unlike the sabudana khichadi recipe that needs perfectly soaked pearls. The thalipeeth satisfies the craving for Sabudana Vadas with its crispness without giving you the guilt of deep frying.

Ingredients

1 cup sabudana/ sago

4 medium potatoes bolied

2 green chilies finely chopped

1/2 cup crushed peanuts

Ghee to shallow fry

2 teaspoon cumin seeds

salt to taste

In a large bowl put all the ingredients together and knead into a dough. Keep aside.

Take 2 non stick pans and grease them with ghee. Now divide the dough into 4 large parts. Each will yield a chapati sized thalipeeth. Take one part and roll into a ball. Now press the ball onto the greased frying pan. Wet your hand with water and spread the dough thin without creating cracks and holes. Cover and cook on medium heat till the sabudana looks translucent. Check if it has turned golden on the lower side by lifting it slightly with a spatula. If it is golden then it should turn over easily. If you do not want it crisp and want to keep it soft cover with a plate and overturn the pan then slide it back into the pan to toast up the otherside. Use up the remaining dough.When cooked from both sides serve hot with coconut chutney or curd. I like mine toasted crisp and Dad his semi soft.

Serves: 3-4 people

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?"

Dahyatla Sabudana

I know this is late, yet there are so many Upvas that are going to come up. There is a chance for you to make this then. Simple, needs a little resting but results are delicious. When you taste this you will wonder how the curd rice and curd sabudana can taste so different. After all it is curd! you'd say. Now don't jump to conclusions just give it a try. Eh, but this one needs a bit of planning and cannot be had like you have curd rice with generous amount of sugar. There is a procedure you got to follow. Well well get going with the recipe, I tell myself. 

  Ingredients 

 1/2 cup sabudana/ tapioca pearls 

3/4 cup sugar (or to taste) 

3 cups curd 

2-3 cardamom pods 

First in a wok dry roast the tapioca pearls. This should be done on a low flame till they get a tinge of pink. Put off heat and while still warm go to the next step. Then make butter milk with one cup curd enough to cover the roasted tapioca. Let is soak for atleast 4 hrs. Test the tapioca pearls. They should look plum and feel soft and should be mashable between the fingers, only then they are ready to eat. Crush the cardamoms to coarse powder and stir into the creamy curd soaked sabudana. Now if you need a slurpy treat have it immediately after mixing the saved 2 cups of curd. If you need a creamy cake add the remaining 2 cups of curd and let it soak for another couple of hours. I love both consistencies. That is traditional type. If you are the type who likes to add some more glamor to any dish then sprinkle chopped nuts or mix in cubed fruits. The blogging thing makes me add a slice of strawberry in my vaTi of Dahyatla sabudana just for some color, you know how white looks dull in pictures. 

Updated: 8 Sep2020 : I had frozen mango pulp in these flower moulds, I used them to decorate and raise the bar in this simple Dahyatla sabudana,

For a savory version. Skip the sugar and make the seasoning like Curd Rice Bangalore Style Then you will ask with that much fanfare you see here Dahyatla sabudana and round Sabudana Vada too! Did we fast? NO!!!!! We just had it for dinner on Shivaratri :) Fasting for Maharashtrians is all about tasty food, deep fried goodies and satisfying the sweet tooth. Not for nothing we have a saying "Adhi potoba mag Vithoba". It means first worship the Stomach Lord then the God Vithoba residing in Pandharpur!

original pic

Sabudana Vada

Thode kele tar chaan hotat ... dheegbhar kele tar chivat hotat

If made in small batches they turn out well...but in large quantities they turn out rubbery.

That is what you need to be careful about.

While I promise the new joinees will be trained to make perfect ones. Here is what I feel about marriage and celebrations related to it. Hope anyone planning a wedding finds it useful. Especially a Koli wedding. This is for all those young grooms and brides who are waiting to get married after Paush is over. Some how I know too many of them are my younger first, second, third cousin brothers and sisters. We are a small community!

We Kolis are modernists when it comes to weddings. Our marriages are most times dowry free. The expenditure on clothes are minimum. The only expenditure is on food. Don't compromise on that. Feed as many people as possible if hosting the reception in the village.

When the couple decides to take the vows. It is their own 100 % risk. You will be your own reason for happiness or sorrow. Family is there for support but the decision should be 100 % your own.

How to plan a wedding:

A wedding is a highly private affair. Keep it that way. The main ceremony should be in the presence of the family from both sides. Public, audience is not required.

If one plans to have a vedic ceremony then all sanskar to be done at family level. Let the elders enjoy the Halad (Beauty treatment- Haldi ceremony) and giving blessing. Let the sisters enjoy preparing for all the small poojas, chuda (dressing up with bangles ceremony), mehndi (though not a koli tradition). Distribute the appropriate duties to all as per their capacities right from elders to children. Each one will enjoy their bit. It is their maan too. Maan is respect.

Do not overspend. If you are able to incorporate all sanskars and is done in presence of the family. Then it is a successful ceremony. Do not buy too many expensive sarees, traditional outfits. They are a waste. Instead buy enough clothes that you can wear to work, parties of the styles you are comfortable in.

If you have stashed a large sum for the wedding but incase you save after you have a small but sanskar rich wedding. Then you have 2 options. Donate whatever you saved for the wedding of a needy. Else use it for your needs to set up home.

Do not make your private, intimate affair that a family wedding is supposed to be into a garish tamasha. Patala tar ghya ...nahi tar sodun dya... accept it if convinced or leave it...

What I would like to see? Crazy couples just right for each other still together even after ages.

Making Sabudana Vadas taught me this lesson. Small batches make better vadas.

So new joinees here is the recipe:

Ingredients

1 cup sabudana/ sago
1 cup butter milk

Prepare sabudana by soaking in butter milk and storing it overnight.

3/4 cup boiled mashed potato
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, crushed
3-4 green chilies, fine chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
salt to taste

Oil for frying

Mix everything together with overnight soaked sabudana to get a dough. Divide into ping pong sized balls. Flatten them for frying. This helps to use lesser oil and they can be shallow fried. Fry until golden and crisp.

Serve with Upavasa chi Chutney and curd if you are fasting. These can be shaped and frozen but after frying need to be served immediately. Once cold they turn rubbery and cannot be enjoyed.

He he... we don't fast anymore in the family. It's a tradition long lost. Hey but let me check with Mothi Aai if she does, Aruna Kaki does not I know for sure.