• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Kitchen Docs
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Sides

    Sabudana or Tapioca Khichdi

    Published: Jan 6, 2018 · Modified: Aug 8, 2023 by Vaishali · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Few days ago I wrote about a coconut ladoo recipe (here) for Navratri. My plan was to share with you all the staples of Navratri that our family enjoys over these special days. But that didn’t go as planned. Navratri days are full of celebrations, prayers and get togethers devoted to celebration of different avtaars or incarnations of Goddess Durga. We are blessed to have a great community in our little town that comes together to celebrate almost every Indian festival, irrespective of which part of the country you originally are from. So for all nine days of Navratri we meet at one friend’s house, recite bhajans and prayers and conclude the evening with offering of fruits, nuts and specially prepared Prasad to the Goddess and then sharing among each other. And then a big celebration follows on the tenth day to celebrate Dussehra, prayers, singing and lot of food.

    One important tradition of Navratri is fasting. Some people fast for all the eight or nine days, eating mostly fruits during the day and breaking the fast with a special dinner. Some people (like me) fast only one or two days…so basically whatever you can follow and devote yourself to. The meal prepared at end of fasting day is really a special one and varies from family to family and region to region. Sabudana or tapioca pearl khichdi is one such dish. Its not traditional in Punjab and belongs to the western states of India, but we love it and make it for our fasting dinner. In our house it is accompanied by a vrat ki roti (flat bread made with dough of potatoes and a special flour), aloo tamatar ki sabzi (potatoes in tomato gravy), dahi (yogurt) and a salad of radish (mooli kachumbar). Hopefully I will get to writing down all these recipes for you. For now, here is my sabudana khichdi.

    Note: Plan ahead for this recipe. Soaking time required…:)

    Ingredients:

    Blank Form (#3)

    Get this recipe in your inbox.
    Share your email and we will send it straight to your inbox. Plus, enjoy regular doses of recipe inspiration as a bonus!

    Sabudana/ Tapioca Pearls/ Sago – 1 cup

    Peanuts – ¼ cup

    Ghee – 2 tablespoon (recipe here)

    Green chili – 1

    Cumin seeds – ½ teaspoon

    Mustard seeds – ½ teaspoon

    Curry leaves – 1 sprig

    Boiled Potato – 1

    Salt – to taste

    Coriander leaves – from 5 sprigs (about 1 tablespoon chopped)

    Lime juice – from ½ lime

    Method:

    Wash and rinse sabudana and soak in 2-3 cups of water for 3-4 hours. Drain in a colander and spread on a kitchen towel for about 30 minutes. I have found that letting the sabudana dry out a little bit after soaking helps in it not clumping together after cooking.

    While the sabudana is drying out, set a heavy bottomed skillet on medium high heat and dry roast the peanuts for 5-7 minutes while continuously stirring. Turn the heat off, let the peanuts cool a little bit and then lay them on a kitchen towel, fold the towel over the peanuts and pound them lightly with a rolling pin to coarsely crush. Mix the crushed peanuts with sabudana and set aside.

    Peel and cut the potato into small cubes. Chop the green chili and coriander leaves, strip the leaves off from curry leaves stem. Set a skillet or fry pan (non-stick works great) on medium heat. Add ghee to the pan and heat till shiny. Add cumin and mustard seeds and wait for them to pop. At this time add the curry leaves and green chili. Mix and cook for 30 seconds before adding the potato cubes. Add a pinch of salt and stir around for a 2-3 minutes or till the potatoes are very lightly browned. Add sabudana mixture, salt to taste, lower the heat, stir and cook for about five minutes. Finish by adding cilantro and lime juice. Give it a taste check and ta-da!!!

    Can be served with Aloo/Potato Curry (recipe here).

    Love- Vaishali.

    Tools used:

    Skillet

    Measuring Spoons

    Knife and chopping board

    Spatula

    More Sides

    • Cooked Aloo methi consisting of cubed potatoes and fenugreek leaves in a beige ceramic bowl.
      Aloo Methi Recipe
    • Cooked rice with cumin seeds and garnished with chopped cilantro in a stainless steel bowl with gold handles on a blue backdrop. A bowl of chickpea curry is in the background.
      Indian Cumin Rice or Jeera Rice Recipe
    • Baked Potato Casserole with cheese and chopped chives in a white ceramic dish on a white marble background.
      Easy Mashed Potato Casserole Recipe with Sour Cream
    • Mashed Potatoes with a pat of butter and garnished with chopped chives in a steel serving dish on a white marble background.
      Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hey, I'm Vaishali!

    Welcome! I am so excited to cook and talk life with you. Here, you will find my kitchen journal full of mostly healthyish recipes that are family friendly, use seasonal and fresh ingredients, plant forward, packed with healing Indian spices and indulgent desserts.

    More about me

    Spring Recipes

    • Close up of creamy risotto with asparagus and peas in a white ceramic bowl.
      Easy No-stir Spring Risotto with Asparagus and Peas
    • A lentil and roasted vegetable salad with spinach and feta cheese served in a white and blue ceramic bowl against a white marbled background.
      Lentil and Roasted Vegetable Salad with Feta and Greek Dressing
    • Aloo Gajar Mutter – A quick stir-fry of potatoes, carrots and peas with dry Indian spices
    • Slices of Citrus Scented Carrot Cranberry Loaf Cake
      Citrus Scented Carrot Cranberry Loaf Cake
    • Turmeric keto cauliflower rice recipe that comes together in one pot in less than 15 minutes. A great low carb alternatice to rice.
      Turmeric Cauliflower Rice or Gobhi Kutra
    • Vegan Instant Pot Lentil Carrot soup with turmeric
      Instant Pot Carrot and Lentil Soup

    Most Popular Recipes

    • Ravioli in Creamy Garlic and Spinach White Sauce
      Ravioli in Creamy Garlic and Spinach “White” Sauce
    • BestEverCinnamonRolls_FI
      Best Ever Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
    • IcedProteinCoffee
      Easy Iced Protein Coffee | Latte, Vegetarian, Make it Vegan
    • VegetablesinCreamSauce_Tandoori_FI
      Vegetables in Spiced Cream Sauce | Easy, Tandoori
    • Banana pudding with a vanilla wafer on top in a blue and white ceramic plate on a blue background.
      Easy Banana Pudding Recipe (No Bake)
    • Blueberry Cobbler Recipe_Featured Image
      Easy Blueberry Cobbler Recipe

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 The Kitchen Docs