Taruna Deepak shares the recipe of her mother's Sabudana Kheer that is sweetened with palm jaggery.
Treat your family to this creamy, luscious, gluten-free dessert that makes for a refreshing change from the regular rice or sevaiya kheer/pudding.
Food blogger Taruna has used tapioca or sago pearls to create interesting dishes like Sabudana Kebabs.
Sabudana Kheer
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients
- ½ cup sabudana or sago pearls
- 750 ml milk
- ½ cup crumbled palm jaggery
- ½ tsp green elaichi or cardamom powder
- Handful raisins and nuts like almonds, pistachios and cashews
- 1 tsp ghee
- A mint leaf, for garnish
Method
- Wash the sabudana till the water run clear.
Soak in enough water for approximately 30 to 45 minutes.
- Heat the ghee in a kadhai or frying pan over low heat and lightly toast the nuts.
Take off heat and keep aside.
- In a large saucepan, over medium-high heat, bring the milk to a boil.
Keep stirring in between to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Reduce the heat once the milk has come to a boil.
Drain the sabudana and add it to the milk.
Stir and allow the sabudana to cook over medium-low heat for approximately 25 to 30 minutes or till the tapioca pearls begin to turn translucent.
Keep stirring the mixture at frequent intervals.
Stir in the cardamom powder and check if the tapioca pearls are cooked.
They should be translucent and soft.
Take off heat and cool for 5-10 minutes before stirring in the jaggery.
Add the raisins and toasted nuts, reserving a few nuts for garnish.
Take off heat, and serve warm, cold or at room temperature, garnished with the remaining nuts and a mint lead.
Taruna's Note: The cooking time of sabudana will depend on its size and the soaking time.
The kheer will thicken once it begins to cool.
Editor's Note: For a vegan version, use soy milk or almond milk or oat milk and use cashew butter instead of ghee.
Taruna Deepak lives in Mumbai and is the creator of the food blog Easyfoodsmith.