Sabudana Kheer / Sago Pudding

Sabudana Kheer

Normally on the 1st of Jan - as a sort of celebration (New Year Day ! )  I make something sweet - or at least have been doing so for past some years now.

During a chat about what we had the previous year, and what we should make for this year, Mom came up with kheer ( which is like a sort of pudding - but without the egg )....and I got to thinking. Years ago, one of Mom's favourite kheer was the sabudana kheer...which like so many of her regular dishes was sort of forgotten as we discovered & adopted new recipes from others around. So thought let me surprise her with this kheer this year.

So as always trolling the net ( get a lot of ideas from there ) - and having some idea of how Mom used to prepare it - and having  had a fair bit of idea myself from all the different kheers that I have since prepared ...and thus armed with all the gathered intel...went about making it...
It was an eye opener - I had totally forgotten how amazing this kheer turns out - so smooth - so melt in the mouth...it can be had hot or cold ( though I prefer it cold, it becomes better the longer you keep it - say the next day... ) - the starch in the sago (sabudana) makes it yummy - that you just cannot stop at one bowl. It is like a comfort food...like a good soup...or chocolate - you get a long and lasting pleasure when you have it...

Nyways - so back to present day...why did I go down memory lane...cause we were expecting my hubby's friend to come over for lunch - and while planning the menu, and since he has a sweet tooth - decided to make this kheer (since it had been bought back to our notice this year)....
So within a span of a month I was back to boiling and reducing the milk, soaking the sabudana, frying the cashew & raisins, crushing the cardamoms....and this time managed to get a few pictures taken...so that this blog could be complete...with text & the pictorials..


So without further delay let me get on with the actual process...here goes...
The bigger variety of sabudana needs to be soaked overnight - wash the sago a couple of times in water - then add water to the bowl till it just covers the sabudana.
If using the small variety then you can skip this step.

Ingredients:

1 litre milk
1/2 cup sabudana ( sago pearls ) (soaked overnight)
5-6 Tblspns sugar
1/4 Tsp cardamom powdered
3/4 cup water
1 Tblspn ghee
2 Tblspn cashews broken into pieces
2 Tblspn raisins


Method:

1) Put the milk to boil - once it comes to a boil, simmer till it reduces to 3/4th - once it thickens a bit - add the sugar.

2) Take a pan - heat the ghee - roast the cashew pieces till it turns a lovely shade of amber, then add the raisins till it puffs up - then remove them out and add the soaked sabudana to the same pan.

3) Stir in the ghee for a minute - then add 3/4 cup water and let it cook till it absorbs all the water and becomes translucent, stirring all the while to prevent it sticking.

4) Add the cooked sabudana to the reduced milk, continue cooking for another 10 minutes till the starch in the sabudana thickens the milk further - then add the cashew pieces, raisins, powdered cardamom.

5) Let it cool down a bit and if planning to serve it hot - you could do that right away - else cool further in the fridge till ready to serve.
This kheer thickens quite a bit when cool - so if required you could add some more milk before serving.
The sugar given in the recipe is just sweet - and so if you prefer you could increase the quantity of sugar.

Enjoy !!!

Well so the kheer was made - had a good lunch with T's friend - relished the kheer, happy to have some left for the next day - and also to give to  my mother & sister ...
Now waiting for tomorrow when it becomes way better...to have our second serving of this amazing desert...hope you try it out too...and let me know how you find it.