Sabudana Khichdi (Easy, Non-sticky, Gluten-free, Vegan snack)
Sabudana Khichdi (easy, non-sticky and Indori style) – this simple gluten-free snack made with sabudana aka tapioca pearls (or sago in Southern India), potatoes, fresh herbs and spices is a quick energy booster. This dish is traditionally made in many households specially in Northern and Western parts of India for people who observe fasts. This step by step gluten-free, vegan recipe uncovers secrets to avoid common pitfalls of cooking tapioca pearls – sticky texture, or becoming too oily.
What is sabudana made of?
Growing up I was amazed by the beautiful pearls of tapioca and wondered what plants produce these. I learnt much later that they are produced by processing the starch from cassava roots in factories.
Is Sabudana Khichdi healthy?
Sabudana Khichdi is a beautiful blend of sabudana (tapioca pearls) with high starch content, protein rich peanuts, high fiber from potatoes, nutrient rich vegetables like green chillies, coriander leaves and vitamin C loaded lemon juice. Naturally gluten-free, sabudana khichdi is a great gluten-free meal option.
Is Sabudana healthier than rice?
Both rice and sabudana have a high starch content.100 gms of uncooked rice contains 80.4 gms of carbohydrates with ~60% starch, however the process of boiling rice in water reduces the starch content to less than half Source: Link
100 grams of uncooked sabudana contains about 87 grams of carbohydrates. The most efficient way to remove excess starch from sabudana is by rinsing it in cold water at least 2-3 times or until the white cloudy water runs clear.
Why does Sabudana Khichdi become Chewy and sticky?
Does making non-sticky sabudana khichdi seem like a daunting target? Well, don’t worry, with the following tips in this recipe, you’ll be saying goodbye to sticky sabudana khichdi forever!
- Choose the right type of Sabudana– You’ll find 2 types of sabudana: 1) Regular (small pearl) 2) Nylon (Larger balls)
While both types are made from the cassava root starch, the smaller sized pearls are made by roasting the pearls and Nylon sabudana is made by boiling the starch. For sabudana khichdi, you’ll need regular sabudana/tapioca pearls. Nylon sabudana is generally fried and used in making fried snacks.
- Wash thoroughly – Sabudana needs to be washed at least 2-3 with cold water by gently rubbing the pearls to remove and wash away excess starch. This is a very important step, else the excess starch will make the sabudana khichdi sticky. Then, strain sabudana in a colander.
- Soak adequately – After thoroughly washing the sabudana, soak sabudana in just enough water until they are covered. Cover and soak sabudana for at least 5-6 hours or overnight. Check readiness by pressing a sabudana pearl with your fingers. The pearl should be soft and you’ll be able to mash it completely without any hard residue.
How to make Sabudana khichdi?
What ingredients do I need to make Sabudana Khichdi?
Tapioca Pearls/ Sabudana: Small/ Medium sized tapioca pearls soaked overnight or for at least 5-6 hours.
Roasted and crushed Peanuts: You can dry roast peanuts in a pan or in the oven at 350 deg F for 10-12 minutes. Let them cool and crush/ coarsely grind them with skin. I don’t remove the skin of the peanuts as it contains a high amount of antioxidants, and is also rich in fiber and proteins.
Spices
Cumin Seeds: The tempering with cumin seeds adds an aromatic flavor to sabudana khichdi.
Salt: Traditionally, while making this dish for someone observing a fast, I use Sendha salt (Rock salt). Feel free to use regular salt in the same proportion.
Sugar: A little amount of sugar enhances the taste of this simple snack.
Red Chilli Powder: Add a spicy kick and color with the use of red chilli powder. If you prefer a milder taste, you can completely skip this.
Herbs and Vegetables
- Cooked/Boiled Potato: I used a Yukon gold potato with low to medium starch content and a creamy buttery taste in this recipe . I would not recommend Russet potatoes as they have a higher starch content. You can use red potatoes as well but they have a sweeter taste.
- Green Chillies: I used 2 green chillies for this recipe for a fresh spicy kick, feel free to adjust it to your liking.
- Lemon juice: 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice before serving the sabudana khichdi.
- Green Coriander leaves: Garnish your flavorful gluten-free, vegan sabudana khichdi with fresh coriander leaves for a delightful taste.
Fats/ Oils:
- 1.5 tablespoon of Coconut oil (vegan option)/ Ghee
Step by step process of making Sabudana Khichdi
Preparing the Veggies:
- Cook the med-large potato in the microwave on high for about 2.5-3 minutes (the time may vary based on your make/ model/ setting of your microwave). I like to microwave the potato instead of boiling to avoid excess moisture. Let the potato cool, then peel and cube the potato. (Pic#1)
- Wash the green chillies, remove their stems and chop green chillies.
- Thoroughly wash the coriander leaves and chop. (Pic#2)
Preparing and seasoning Sabudana:
- Rinse sabudana thoroughly in cold water 2-3 times or until the water runs clear and strain the (Refer above). Pic#3
- Add water in the bowl to just cover the tapioca pearls. Cover and let it rest for 5-6 hours or overnight. Pic#4
- Add salt, sugar, red chilli powder and roasted, crushed peanuts. Mix well and set aside. Pic#5
Tempering Sabudana:
- In a thick bottomed pan, on medium heat, add 1 tbsp of coconut oil (Pic#5). Once the oil is hot, add 1 tsp cumin seeds. Pic#6
- Once the cumin seeds start crackling, add chopped green chillies and saute for 1 min.
- Then add in the boiled/ cooked and cubed potato with half a tsp of salt. Saute for a minute or two or until the potatoes are golden. (Pic#7)
- Add in the seasoned sabudana mentioned in the preparation step above. Mix sabudana gently with the tempering and saute for 2-3 minutes. Take care not to over cook/ mix sabudana vigorously else the sabudana gets sticky. (Pic#8)
Cook over Boiling water:
- Boil about 2-3 large glasses of water in a pan and cover and place the pan with sabudana over it. (Pic#9)
- After 10 minutes, mix the sabudana khichdi, and cook again for another 10 minutes. This process makes tapioca pearls cook perfectly, turning translucent but not sticky. (Pic#10)
Serving:
- This delightful snack is garnished with freshly chopped coriander leaves. Add the juice of half a lemon. Pic#11
- Serve it with some churned yogurt with a little bit of salt, sugar and red chilli powder, and some chopped cucumber. Pic#12
More gluten-free snack recipes:
SABUDANA KHICHDI (EASY, NON-STICKY, GLUTEN-FREE, VEGAN SNACK)
Ingredients
- 1½ tbsp Coconut Oil You can substitute it with ghee or any other oil
- 1 cup Sabudana/ Tapioca Pearls aka sagodana/ sago
- ¾ cup Peanuts I used about 1/2 cup of the roasted peanuts in seasoning and the rest can be used while serving.
Herbs and Vegetables
- 1 medium Potato
- 3 Green chillies
- 1 bunch Coriander leaves
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
Spices
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1¼ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Granulated white sugar
- ¾ tsp Red chilli powder
Instructions
PREPARING THE VEGGIES
- Cook the med-large potato in the microwave on high for about 2.5-3 minutes (Check instructions on your microwave for cook time). I microwave the potato instead of boiling to avoid excess moisture. Let the potato cool, then peel and cube the potato.
- Wash the green chillies, remove their stems and chop green chillies.
- Thoroughly wash the coriander leaves, chop and set aside.
PREPARING AND SEASONING SABUDANA
- Rinse sabudana in cold water 2-3 times or until the water runs clear. Add water in the bowl to just cover the tapioca pearls. Cover and let it rest for 5-6 hours or overnight.
- Add salt, sugar, red chilli powder and roasted, crushed peanuts. Mix well and set aside.
TEMPERING SABUDANA
- In a thick bottomed pan, on medium heat, add 1 tbsp of coconut oil. Once the oil is hot, add 1 tsp cumin seeds.
- Once the cumin seeds start crackling, add chopped green chillies and saute for 1 min.
- Then add in the boiled/ cooked and cubed potato with half a tsp of salt. Saute for a minute or two or until the potatoes are golden.
COOK OVER BOILING WATER
- Boil about 2-3 large glasses of water in a pan and cover and place the pan with sabudana over it.
- After 10 minutes, mix the sabudana khichdi, and cook again for another 10 minutes. This process makes tapioca pearls turn translucent.
SERVING
- This delightful snack is garnished with freshly chopped coriander leaves. Add the juice of half a lemon.
- Serve it with churned yogurt and add a little bit of salt, sugar and red chilli powder.