Recipe: Sabudana Kheer and Vada

There is no better time to devour sabudana fare than the month of Shravan.

Satisfy your sweet cravings with a bowl of yummy Sabudana Kheer made with cane sugar and garnished with raisins, saffron and cashew nuts.

The deep-fried, crispy Sabudana Vadas will help you start off the day on a happy note. It tastes great when served with coriander and mint chutney or imli or tamarind chutney.

These recipes are by Maharaj Jodharam Choudhary, corporate chef, Khandani Rajdhani, a chain of thali restaurants serving Rajasthani food.

Sabudana Kheer

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• ½ cup sabudana or tapioca pearls
• 4 cups warm milk
• 4-5 tbsp unrefined cane sugar, or as required (you can use regular sugar too)
• 4-5 green elaichi or cardamom, husked and crushed to a semi-fine powder in a mortar-pestle
• 2 tbsp chopped cashew nuts, roasted
• ½ tbsp raisins, roasted
• 3-4 kesar or saffron strands
• ½ to 1 cup water, or as required

Method

• Using a channi or colander rinse the sabudana well until the water runs clears of starch.
  Drain the excess water and keep aside.
• Heat a heavy-bottomed kadhai or pan over medium-low heat and add sabudana and ½ cup water.
  Make sure the sabudana is covered with water.
  Cover the pan and let the sabudana cook for 15-20 minutes.
  Then add the warm milk and continue to cook.
  Once the sabudana is cooked, add the sugar and cardamom powder and cook on low to medium heat for 20-25 minutes.
  Keep stirring.
  Take off heat and add the roasted cashew nuts, raisins and saffron.
• Transfer into bowls or glasses and serve warm or cold.

Note: 1 cup = 250 ml.

Sabudana Vada

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• 1 cup sabudana or tapioca pearls
• 3 to 4 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed
• ½ cup peanuts
• 1 tsp jeera or cumin powder
• 1-2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 2 tsp lime juice
• Small bunch of green dhania or coriander or cilantro, chopped
• 1.5 tsp sugar, or as required
• 3 tbsp kuttu ka atta or buckwheat flour
• Rock salt as per taste
• Oil, for deep frying 
• Mint and coriander chutney, to serve

Method

• Using a channi or colander rinse sabudana well until the water runs clear of starch.
  Soak the washed sabudana in a container filled with water for 5 hours at least. Preferably soak overnight.
  Drain the excess water and transfer the sabudana into another bowl.
  Add the mashed potatoes, kuttu ka atta and mix.
  Keep aside.
• In a heavy-bottomed frying pan over low heat roast the peanuts.
  Take off heat and once cool, transfer into a mixer jar and pulse a few times to get a coarse mixture.
• Add the ground peanuts to the sabudana and potato mixture.
  Add the sugar, rock salt, cumin powder, green chillies, lime juice and coriander leaves.
  Using your hands mix the mixture well.
  Divide the mixture in small equal parts and roll them in balls of about 1-inch diameter.
  Flatten the balls with the palms of your hands and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan or kadhai over medium-high heat.
  Deep fry the vadas in batches until golden brown and crisp.
  Drain excess oil and transfer into a plate lined with a paper towel or paper napkin.
  If the vadas start splitting up in the oil while deep frying, pat the unfried vadas in a little extra buckwheat flour.
  Serve hot along with mint and coriander chutney or imli or tamarind chutney.

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