Sabudana Kheer

An Indian style Sago pudding

• CuisineIndian
• CategorySweet
• CourseDessert

Ingredients

• 1 cupSabudana (Sago/tapioca pearls)
• 1 cupSugar
• 2 litresMilk
• 1 cupCream
• 4Green cardamom
• 20Sultanas
• 20Raw cashews
• 2 tbspGhee

Preparation

1. Heat ghee and fry sultanas till they swell up
2. Remove sultanas and add cashews and fry till slightly golden
3. Remove and keep aside along with the sultanas
4. Bring 4 litres of water to a boil and slowly trickle the sabudana into it
5. Stir occasionally to prevent the grains sticking to the bottom or sides
6. Once the pearls turn nearly transparent, place in a sieve and wash with cold water
7. Heat milk and cream gently till reduced in volume by 20%
8. Add washed sabudana, sugar, crushed green cardamom, cashews and sultanas
9. Gently simmer for 20 minutes stirring every 5 minutes

The sago pearl is used all over South Asia. It is one of those things that you would not realise is made and doesn't just grow on trees. There are actually two different types of pearls made from starch that come from completely different sources but the final product is close enough that they can be used interchangeably. One is sago made from the sago palm and the other is tapioca made from a root. The starch is extracted to make the distinctive round white pearls. Obtuse religious rules decree that this is not technically a grain and can be eaten during a fast and dishes made with this wonder pearl are a staple during fasting days. One of these dishes is sabudana kheer - a pudding made with sago, milk and sugar. More lore says that the grains are easy to digest and are often made for people recovering from an illness. For these reasons, it is not often seen as 'festive' enough for a party but it is a favourite of mine and damn them traditions!

I have always had problems making sabudana kheer. Put too much sago pearls and the kheer turns into a thick jelly. Put too little and you can hardly find them in the kheer. This is complicated by the sheer amount of starch that the sago releases after cooking - even a ¼ cup can thicken 2 litres of milk. Pre-soaking the pearls beforehand can reduce cooking time but does not solve the problem with the thickening.

The way to get around it is to cook the sago separately. This works so well that I reserve some of the cooked starch to be added into the kheer to thicken it just that little bit.

Start with a large pot and bring at least 4 litres of water to a boil. Slowly trickle the grains in and stir to prevent it all from clumping together. As the cooking progresses, the grains start becoming transparent. The centre will remain a bit white but gradually becomes mostly transparent.

The picture below shows the grains starting to become transparent but most of them have a white, uncooked centre.

Keep stirring occasionally, especially the bottom of the pot where the grains will tend to stick. If the mixture gets too thick, add a cup or two of hot water. The amount of water to keep the mixture runny enough can be a bit of a surprise.

It is a bit hard to tell when the grains are mostly cooked. A few grains may still show a white centre in the pot but the best way to tell is to pull some out on a spoon and have a closer look. The picture below shows a large number of pearls on a spoon and most are transparent with a few showing a small white centre. This is close enough - the rest of the cooking will happen in the kheer.

Put the cooked grains in a sieve and wash under running cold water. Put only a small amount at a time as the starch tends to clog the sieve. You may even need to run a spoon on the bottom of the sieve or rub the outside of the sieve for the water to get through. Once washed, you will get clean, fully cooked pearls with none of the associated starch.

Reserve some of the unwashed grains with the starch - about ½ cup. You can add this to the kheer along with the washed pearls.

Thickening the milk and cream mixture is another daunting task for me. It takes a very long time. It needs constant stirring. A moment's inattention may mean the milk burning and the taste and smell of burnt milk pervading the dish. I don't like the usual shortcut of using milk powder and I prefer to start the thickening process in the microwave. Heat the milk in batches of 1 litre. Put on high for 10 minutes at a time for 30 minutes and stir in between. Put it in a bowl large enough as the milk will bubble up. Be careful while stirring the milk - a placid bowl of heated milk will suddenly start to bubble vigourously the moment you stick the spoon in. Once the milk has been slightly thickened in the microwave, I put it on the stove with a simmer plate. This prevents it from being hot enough to burn the milk. An occasional stir is all that is needed.