I sort of look forward to festivities, you know. They have their own quaint smell, sight, and of course taste. But, queer as it may sound, I also wait for days of fasting, and on the Indian calendar there is no dearth of either. Quite ironically, people spend almost equal time in the kitchen on the fasting days as they do while making elaborate culinary arrangements on the more festive ones. The rules of cooking are stricter on these days, with a variety of no-no ingredients stretching from garlic to table-salt to cereals, making it extra-hard for the tongue and the cook alike. Alas, these rules did not take into consideration the ingenuity of the Indian woman, who deftly dances around these rules to come up with amazing dishes, fit for a feast but within the fasting dictum. And thus I believe was born the humble Sabudhana Khichdi or, as I have taken the freedom to translate - Sago Hodgepodge.
Sabudhana or Pearl Sago, I guess, is a widely popular replacement for rice among the Marathis, and with quite a few of them being on my social network in Cincinnati, it is next to impossible to have not heard the dish being mentioned at least a dozen times. So some time back, when I was planning to observe a fast on Indira Ekadasi, I decided to make it interesting by experimenting with this Marathi favorite. One phone call later, I had the recipe in hand, having heard it from the very lady who had introduced me to the name of the dish. But alas! She had distinctly said, "Overnight Saagy!.. and add a little milk." Well, starting at 7 O'clock for dinner at 9, was certainly nowhere near her overnight advice. And my dreams of eating fluffy Sago Pearls for dinner were gone, with a tiny pop! Nevertheless, not the one to be put out, I suddenly got up at 1 in the night, tiptoed into the kitchen and dunked the sago into a bowl full of water. Mission accomplished!
At 10:30 the next morning, I was sitting down to a breakfast of steaming hot khichdi, cooked to perfection (or at least that was what perfection was to me). And take my word, it was so good that I had it three times over the course of the day (and anyone who knows me well, would understand why). So here is the recipe, that Minal was so kind to share over the phone, with my own little experimental bit added in. Now I wouldn't explicitly state what that was, would I?
Sabudhana Khichdi (Serves 1 starved graduate student)
Set-up Time : Overnight
Experiment Run-Time : 30 Minutes
The Shopping List
Set 1: Soak together overnight
Pearl Sago/ Sabudhana : 2 cups
Milk : 2 Tbsp
Water : Sufficient to cover the Sago and an extra inch
Set 2: The Masala
Raw Groundnuts : 1 cup
Dried Red Chilies : Around 5
(Inversely proportional to your proximity with Andhra)
Set 3: The Flavorings
Onion : 1, cut into thin long quarters
(Usually skipped for Vrathas)
Green Chilies : 2, medium cuts
Mustard : 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds : 1 tsp
Curry Leaves : a strand or two
Coconut Powder : 2 Tbsp
Lemon Juice : 1 Tbsp
Turmeric Powder : A Pinch
Asafoetida : a pinch, for the South Indian kick
Oil : Sufficient to sauté the above
Salt : Adjust according to taste
(and your latest Thesis-BP test results)
Set 4: For the Nutrients (Optional, as always)
Potatoes : Peeled and cut into half inch cubes
Peas : Half cup
Methodology
1. Plan in advance. I mean, at least 8 hours ahead, so that your Sago may get its beauty soak. Soak it with sufficient water, so that the water level is an inch above the Sago beads. Don't forget to add the milk. It gives them a nice pearly white appearance.
2. Nearer to the actual serving time, choose a suitable heavy bottom pan and fry the ingredients from Set 2 on a low flame, until your olfactory organs detect a nice nutty aroma wafting into the air. (Remember, the more the chilies you add, the higher the probability of your nose protesting.)
Cool the ingredients, skin the groundnuts and grind them to a fine powder in a powerful blender. This is the very soul of the dish , the single entity which transforms the bland sago into a gastronomic delight.
3. Now, in the very same pan, add around 2 tablespoons of oil (experiment as per your taste - sesame, mustard, sunflower, or vegetable. I just used good old canola oil.). Once heated, add a dash of asafoetida, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and the curry leaves. Give a quick stir until you hear the mustard seeds crackle merrily and immediately add in the onions and green chilies.
Follow it with some turmeric powder, and sauté the mixture until the onions are near transparent (I love to continue sautéing until the edges of the onion slices start to develop a light brownish tinge - the beginnings of caramelization).
4. If you decide to go ahead with the additional vegetables, this is where you add them to the pan. Always add the potato first, mix it with the masala, add a little water and cook them - covered on a low flame, until they are soft enough.
Since I use frozen peas, I add them only after the potatoes are cooked. Fresh peas may take a tad bit longer to imbibe the masalas and reach the desired state of softness.
5. In the meanwhile, drain the Sago completely using a colander. Add the peanut-chili powder to the still-slightly-wet Sago along with a pinch of salt, and toss the mixture around until the Sago is well coated with the spice powder.
6. If you have timed yourself right, it would just be about right to add the Sago mixture to the onion-vegetable gravy simmering in the pan. Gently mix them together so as not to break the Sago pearls. Cover the vessel and let the dish cook for around 4-5 minutes - any longer and you will end up with bite sized tennis balls.
7. Uncover the pan and add in the coconut powder and a the lemon juice, gently incorporating them into the khichdi with a wooden spatula.
Throw in a bunch of freshly cut coriander if you desire and serve immediately.
The khichdi tastes equally great whether served hot or cold. I ate my third and final helping 6 hours after I had made the khichdi and the flavor imparted by the cold Sago pearls were refreshingly different from what they had offered when hot. Surprisingly, in total contrast to all the general rumors, the Sago did not have even the slightest bit of 'a rubbery chew', or 'Javvu' as people like to call it in Tamil, when cold. Awesome I say!
If every fast was accompanied with such dainty dishes, who would not yearn for more such days. Waiting eagerly for the next Ekadasi!
At 10:30 the next morning, I was sitting down to a breakfast of steaming hot khichdi, cooked to perfection (or at least that was what perfection was to me). And take my word, it was so good that I had it three times over the course of the day (and anyone who knows me well, would understand why). So here is the recipe, that Minal was so kind to share over the phone, with my own little experimental bit added in. Now I wouldn't explicitly state what that was, would I?
Sabudhana Khichdi (Serves 1 starved graduate student)
Set-up Time : Overnight
Experiment Run-Time : 30 Minutes
The Shopping List
Set 1: Soak together overnight
Pearl Sago/ Sabudhana : 2 cups
Milk : 2 Tbsp
Water : Sufficient to cover the Sago and an extra inch
Set 2: The Masala
Raw Groundnuts : 1 cup
Dried Red Chilies : Around 5
(Inversely proportional to your proximity with Andhra)
Set 3: The Flavorings
Onion : 1, cut into thin long quarters
(Usually skipped for Vrathas)
Green Chilies : 2, medium cuts
Mustard : 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds : 1 tsp
Curry Leaves : a strand or two
Coconut Powder : 2 Tbsp
Lemon Juice : 1 Tbsp
Turmeric Powder : A Pinch
Asafoetida : a pinch, for the South Indian kick
Oil : Sufficient to sauté the above
Salt : Adjust according to taste
(and your latest Thesis-BP test results)
Set 4: For the Nutrients (Optional, as always)
Potatoes : Peeled and cut into half inch cubes
Peas : Half cup
Methodology
1. Plan in advance. I mean, at least 8 hours ahead, so that your Sago may get its beauty soak. Soak it with sufficient water, so that the water level is an inch above the Sago beads. Don't forget to add the milk. It gives them a nice pearly white appearance.
2. Nearer to the actual serving time, choose a suitable heavy bottom pan and fry the ingredients from Set 2 on a low flame, until your olfactory organs detect a nice nutty aroma wafting into the air. (Remember, the more the chilies you add, the higher the probability of your nose protesting.)
Cool the ingredients, skin the groundnuts and grind them to a fine powder in a powerful blender. This is the very soul of the dish , the single entity which transforms the bland sago into a gastronomic delight.
3. Now, in the very same pan, add around 2 tablespoons of oil (experiment as per your taste - sesame, mustard, sunflower, or vegetable. I just used good old canola oil.). Once heated, add a dash of asafoetida, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and the curry leaves. Give a quick stir until you hear the mustard seeds crackle merrily and immediately add in the onions and green chilies.
Follow it with some turmeric powder, and sauté the mixture until the onions are near transparent (I love to continue sautéing until the edges of the onion slices start to develop a light brownish tinge - the beginnings of caramelization).
4. If you decide to go ahead with the additional vegetables, this is where you add them to the pan. Always add the potato first, mix it with the masala, add a little water and cook them - covered on a low flame, until they are soft enough.
Since I use frozen peas, I add them only after the potatoes are cooked. Fresh peas may take a tad bit longer to imbibe the masalas and reach the desired state of softness.
5. In the meanwhile, drain the Sago completely using a colander. Add the peanut-chili powder to the still-slightly-wet Sago along with a pinch of salt, and toss the mixture around until the Sago is well coated with the spice powder.
6. If you have timed yourself right, it would just be about right to add the Sago mixture to the onion-vegetable gravy simmering in the pan. Gently mix them together so as not to break the Sago pearls. Cover the vessel and let the dish cook for around 4-5 minutes - any longer and you will end up with bite sized tennis balls.
7. Uncover the pan and add in the coconut powder and a the lemon juice, gently incorporating them into the khichdi with a wooden spatula.
Throw in a bunch of freshly cut coriander if you desire and serve immediately.
The khichdi tastes equally great whether served hot or cold. I ate my third and final helping 6 hours after I had made the khichdi and the flavor imparted by the cold Sago pearls were refreshingly different from what they had offered when hot. Surprisingly, in total contrast to all the general rumors, the Sago did not have even the slightest bit of 'a rubbery chew', or 'Javvu' as people like to call it in Tamil, when cold. Awesome I say!
If every fast was accompanied with such dainty dishes, who would not yearn for more such days. Waiting eagerly for the next Ekadasi!
