Sabudana Khichdi

Cooking Sabudana Khichdi is an art and requires a delicate balance of ingredients, soaking time, and cooking method. Common mistakes include soaking sabudana for too long, leading to mushy khichdi, or not enough, resulting in hard pearls. The tempering of spices should be just right, and the addition of other ingredients like peanuts and potatoes should be in correct proportion to avoid overpowering the main component, which is sabudana. To get the most out of this dish, soaking the sabudana is key. Make sure to rinse the sabudana pearls under cold water to get rid of any dust or impurities, before soaking it for about 4-6 hours. If the pearls are still hard after that, they may require a bit more soaking time, perhaps an additional hour or two. After soaking, drain any excess water and leave the sabudana in a strainer for about 30mins, as this will help it become fluffier. Adding a bit of lemon juice at the end brightens up the dish, giving it a fresh and tangy note. An interesting kitchen hack is to roast the peanuts and remove the skin before crushing them. Roasting them enhances their flavor, and crushed peanuts add a lovely crunchy texture to the otherwise soft and gooey sabudana. A little-known fact is that the dish can be made vegan by replacing ghee with vegetable oil.