Maharashtrian Sabudana Khichdi

Ingredients

• Sago – 1 cup
• Water – ¾ cup, for soaking
• Boiled potato – 1 medium, peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes
• Roasted peanuts – ⅓ cup, cooled and coarsely ground
• Green chillies – 2, finely chopped
• Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Curry leaves – 8 to 10, optional
• Sugar – ½ tsp, optional
• Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
• Coriander – 2 tbsp, chopped
• Rock salt for fasting, or regular salt – as needed
• Ghee or peanut oil – 1½ tbsp

Method

1. Put the sago in a wide bowl. Rinse it 3 to 4 times, gently moving the pearls with your fingers, until the drained water is almost clear. This removes loose starch that can make the khichdi sticky.
2. Add exactly ¾ cup water to the rinsed sago. The water should reach about the same level as the pearls, not float well above them. Cover and soak for 4 to 6 hours; harder pearls may be left overnight.
3. Check before cooking: press one pearl between your thumb and finger. It must crush easily with no hard white centre. If it is still firm, sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons water, rest for another 30 to 60 minutes and test again. Drain in a sieve for 10 minutes so no free water remains.
4. If starting with raw peanuts, dry-roast them until crisp, cool completely and grind coarsely—not into a paste. Gently toss the drained sago with the peanut powder, salt and optional sugar so the powder coats the pearls before they enter the pan.
5. Heat the ghee in a wide, heavy pan over medium heat. Add cumin; when it crackles, add green chilli and optional curry leaves. Stir for 20 to 30 seconds without burning the chilli.
6. Add the boiled potato cubes and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden. Lower the heat before adding the sago mixture.
7. Add the sago-peanut mixture and fold gently so the potato is distributed. Cook uncovered over low to medium-low heat for 4 to 6 minutes, turning gently every 30 to 40 seconds rather than stirring continuously.
8. Stop cooking when most pearls look translucent and glossy, with only a few tiny white specks remaining. Taste one: it should be soft, not chalky. Do not continue cooking after this point or the pearls can clump.
9. Turn off the heat. Add lemon juice and coriander, toss once and serve immediately with plain curd. If the khichdi waits too long, it naturally becomes firmer as it cools.