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Sabudana Kheer | Tapioca Pearls Pudding
Sago, milk, and sugar are used to make the delicious sweet dish known as sago pulao. It’s a popular Indian sweet made on Hindu fasting days and is meant to be eaten during fasts. It’s a creamy, rich dessert that kids especially enjoy.
We make sabudana kheer at least once a month, usually during the Navratri Festival or one of the fasting or vrat days.
Sago pearls are very light and easy to digest. Sago pearls are a good source of carbohydrates and among its main benefits is that it quickly breaks down into glucose.
So, it provides instant energy which is why Sabudana Kheer/Tapioca Pearls Pudding is a must-have dish on fasting days to break the fast and to provide energy for the day. It is a popular dish in Maharashtra, India.
I love this pudding as it’s so easy to make and very nutritious too. Since my kids love sago pearls I used coconut milk and cashews but you can keep it simple by using only milk also if desired or skip coconut milk and cashews altogether.
Sabudana, often known as sago, are little pearls that are formed from the starch obtained from cassava roots (yuca, tapioca). Sabudana is also the name for tapioca pearls.
In Northern and Western India, opaque white pearls with a milky whiteness are known as Sabudana. In Kannada, they’re called sabbakki, Tamil javvarisi, Telugu sagubiyyam, and Malayalam chowari.
My sabudana kheer recipe is very easy. Sabudana kheer is my son’s favorite kheer and so I make it very often.
Once I was visiting my friend for lunch and she had pre-prepared this as a dessert. The kheer was so yummy that my son had two bowls of it back to back. I learned this from her, and so it is my friend’s keeper recipe – one she has been making for many years.
My recipe calls for soaking the sabudana in water first, which speeds up the cooking process. You can also cook sabudana directly in milk, but it will take longer.
Consistency and Serving Suggestions
This is a kind of rich, creamy rice pudding. Just keep sabudana in mind when soaking it. Once they’ve been soaked for an extended period of time, they shouldn’t offer you any trouble when you bite into them – that is, they should not be hard or dense to your teeth.
Sabudana kheer thickens naturally over time, so keep in mind the texture you desire for a cold presentation.
If the kheer thickens, you can add some milk to it while serving. Sabudana kheer is easy to digest too.
Serve Sabudana Kheer at room temperature or heated. You may also refrigerate it and serve it chilled. Garnish with nuts while serving.
Sabudana kheer is a dessert that may be enjoyed on its own or used to complement a satvik (no onion, no garlic) dinner or platter.
Expert Recipe Tips
To soak or not to soak? My recipe calls for soaking sabudana for at least 5 hours. People who have forgotten to soak sabudana will really appreciate this. But if you don’t have time, then you can soak cook it straightaway. Sabudana can be soaked to reduce cooking time.
After cooking, the sabudana should be somewhat sticky and soft to the touch. They shouldn’t have any bite to them.
Choose the right sabudana: Use the standard-sized sabudana available on the market to make sabudana kheer. Do not utilize nylon sabudana, which comes in various sizes.
Nuts: You may also add your own mix of nuts and dried fruits to this Indian sweet dish, just as you would with any other Indian dessert. A combination of almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, dates, and dried figs (chironji) for a variation on this theme. You may also omit the nuts or dry fruits entirely.
Flavorings: In my kheer recipes, I always add cardamom powder or saffron (kesar). However, you may try any bright or fragrant ingredients that you like, such as ground cinnamon, orange extract, rose water, or any other ingredients that suit you. You may also try adding vanilla/rose essence.
Sweeteners: You can substitute any sweetener for sugar. If you are using jaggery, palm sugar, palm jaggery, or coconut sugar, place the sabudana kheer on the countertop of your kitchen for 4 to 5 minutes. It will cool down a bit after this. Grated or chopped jaggery, palm sugar, coconut sugar, or palm jaggery can be added. Mix well and serve.
Vegan option: Kheer can be made with almond milk. Prepare the sabudana by cooking them in water until they are soft. Put almond milk and sugar in a saucepan and gently heat until a slight simmer is achieved. Do not boil. Cashews and raisins should be added at the end. If adding coconut milk, follow the same steps. It is okay to warm the coconut milk or warm it gently, but do not boil it.
How To Make Sabudana Kheer | Tapioca Pearls Pudding
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Cuisine: Indian
Course: Desserts
Yield: 3 servings
Author: Ranjeeta Nath Ghai
Ingredients
- ½ – ⅔ cup sabudana or sago (tapioca pearls) – for a thicker kheer, you can add sabudana
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups water
- 4 to 5 tbsp sugar or raw sugar – add as required
- ½ tsp green cardamom powder or crushed in a mortar-pestle
- 2 tbsp chopped cashews
- ½ raisins
- 3-4 saffron strands for garnish – optional
Cooking Instructions
- Wash the sabudana pearls until all the starch is removed. Take a thick-bottomed pan or saucepan in which you will be making the kheer.
- Add the rinsed sabudana pearls and water to the pan. Cover and let the pearls soak in the water for 5-7 hours.
- To make the sabudana kheer keep the pan on the stovetop and begin to cook the sabudana pearls.
- Meanwhile, heat or warm the milk too. Boiling the milk is not necessary. Add the milk to the pan and keep cooking for 4-5 minutes.
- On a low to medium flame, add sugar and cardamom powder and simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes until the sabudana are cooked well.
- Stir frequently to prevent the kheer or sabudana from sticking to the pan.
- Add cashews and raisins after turning off the heat. Garnish with saffron strands.
- Served hot, warm, or chilled, sabudana kheer is a delicious dessert.
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Quick Overview
Recipe Name: How To Make Sabudana Kheer | Tapioca Pearls Pudding
Author: Ranjeeta Nath Ghai
Description: It is a must-have dish on fasting days to break the fast and to provide energy for the day. It is a popular dish in Maharashtra, India. Also, this pudding is easy to make and very nutritious too.
Preperation time: 5H15M (5H for soaking)
Cook Time: 20M
Total Time: 5H35M (5H for soaking)
Type: dessert
Recipe Yield: 3 servings
Recipe Ingredients: ½ – ⅔ cup sabudana or sago (tapioca pearls) – for a thicker kheer, you can add sabudana, 2 cups whole milk, 2 cups water, 4 to 5 tbsp sugar or raw sugar – add as required, ½ tsp green cardamom powder or crushed in a mortar-pestle, 2 tbsp chopped cashews, ½ raisins, 3-4 saffron strands for garnish – optional
Recipe Instructions: Wash the sabudana pearls until all the starch is removed. Take a thick-bottomed pan or saucepan in which you will be making the kheer. Add the rinsed sabudana pearls and water to the pan. Cover and let the pearls soak in the water for 5-7 hours. To make the sabudana kheer keep the pan on the stovetop and begin to cook the sabudana pearls. Meanwhile, heat or warm the milk too. Boiling the milk is not necessary. Add the milk to the pan and keep cooking for 4-5 minutes. On a low to medium flame, add sugar and cardamom powder and simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes until the sabudana are cooked well. Stir frequently to prevent the kheer or sabudana from sticking to the pan. Add cashews and raisins after turning off the heat. Garnish with saffron strands. Served hot, warm, or chilled, sabudana kheer is a delicious dessert.
Recipe Cuisine: Indian
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