I've spent the last hour trying to figure out how sago differs from tapioca. I only know that they are both starches that come from two different plants, but I still don't know whether our sabudana is sago or tapioca pearls. Instead, I am going to tell you my favorite sabudana dishes. The first one's sabudana vadas, the deep fried sago and potato cutlets. But with a few thousand calories each, that's not something I can eat everyday. The other favorite, sabudana khichdi, makes a regular appearance on my breakfast menu.
It's a bit tricky making this one so pay attention now. The previous night, wash 1/2 cup sago/tapioca pearls and soak in just enough water to cover them. Any more, and this will not work. By next morning, the pearls will have soaked up all the water and will now be plump and soft.
Parboil one potato and cut into small pieces. Heat a tbsp of oil in a nonstick pan and add 1/2 tsp cumin seeds. When they start to splutter, add the chopped potato and a handful of raw, shelled peanuts. Wait till the potato starts to brown a little, then add the sabudana and 1/2 tsp salt. Lower the heat and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. If it starts to get too starchy, that's your sign to take if off the fire. Top with a tbsp of chopped coriander.
Comments
I used to love the vadas - crisp and delish! But I have heard that the cleaning is done in a rather non-veggie manner and stopped. Any idea about that? Everybody else in my house eats it though:)
Refuse to eat sabudhana kheer though.