After taking a break over the weekend , i am back with some more maharashtrian dishes. Today, i will be posting recipes on a vegetable, salad and breakfast dish to finish up with the maharashtrian cuisine. Then i will start with something from a different cuisine. Every morning, i debate about what to cook for lunch. You see, P doesnt like a heavy lunch because he has to work. So what did i decide to make today ?? Sabudanyachi khichdi/ a spicy sago dish, P's favorite. The ultimate maharashtrian breakfast which can also subsitute for lunch and is usually made on days when you fast. However when you have such a mouthwatering dish in front of you, who cares about fasting.

Sabudana khichdi doesnt require that you put in a whole lot of time. Its a fairly quick dish to make and yummy to boot. However, how it turns out depends on the quality of sago/sabudana that you get. Here in the U.S. it is difficult to get a good quality sabudana. I usually try to get sago from a recent stock because the older it gets, the quality degrades. The Lakshmi brand is usually good.

According to this article in Wikipedia, the word sabudana is derived from Sabut meaning whole and dana meaning seed. Sabudana known as pearl sago in India is a slightly different variation of the traditional sago indigenous to Myanmar, Malaysia and Indonesia. In India sago is used to make khichdi, sabudana wada, wafers and kheer. In the western world, a similar version of the sago- tapioca is used to make puddings. Note: Sago is a high-calorie food full of carbohydrates and little vitamins, proteins or minerals. So if you are on a diet, you should probably avoid sabudana and its varied preparations.

Serves 2
Ingredients:
2 cups sago/sabudana
1 potato
salt and sugar to taste
1/3 tsp chili powder
3/4th cup roasted peanut powder

For tempering:
1 tsp cumin seeds
6-7 curry leaves
3 green chilies
2 tsbp ghee

For garnish:
coriander

1. The secret to making a good sabudana khichdi is in soaking the sabudana. Soak the sabudana overnight(preferably). If its a good quality one, you only need to soak it 2-3 hours prior to cooking. Add water only till the sabudana is soaked in it. If you add more, it will become soggy; if you add less, it will not turn soft. (Tip: If it turns out just a little soggy, place some paper napkins over it and let it soak up the water. The sabudana will turn out firm yet soft.)
2. For the peanut powder,roast peanuts, peel off the skin and ground it into a coarse powder.
3. The next day or just before cooking, the sabudana should be separate ( just like each rice grain of basmati) but soft. Mix the peanut powder, chili powder, salt and sugar.
4. Peel off the potato skin, and dice it into small cubes.
5. Heat ghee in a cooking pot and add the cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the curry leaves and green chili and potato. Add a pinch of salt and let the potato cook.
6. When the potato's done, add the sabudana and heat for 5-7 minutes.
7. Garnish with coriander and serve hot.