Monday, May 25, 2009

Sabudana Khichdi....in the microwave

One of the biggest surprises when I moved to Dubai from Bombay was that I could call the gas company and they would send a cylinder within minutes!! Now that was a huge relief for me and also for Terradaze - I had been so terrible with booking gas cylinders in Bombay that there had been umpteen number of times that I would dispatch him to the agent's depot to get a cylinder.

Of course, I hadn't reckoned with Murphy. Yeah, the same guy who lands up when he shouldn't!

And so, there was this day when I invited some people over for a Diwali breakfast. Before they came, Murphy knocked. The gas ran out early in the morning - no sweat, for the the gas co. had faithfully delivered the cylinder withing minutes of calling them in the past. But apparently, we hadn't read the fine print - on Fridays, they would send in the cylinders only after the afternoon prayers!

I had planned to make sabudana khichdi and I desperately wanted to make it for my guests, especially considering that it was amongst the few things that I made very well.

Now what?

Well...I did have my trusted microwave. I have always cooked extensively in the microwave - do check out my microwave paneer jalfrezi , chicken kebabs and the simple bread pudding - but would I dare to make sabudana khichdi in the microwave?

As it turns out, I have never made sabudana khichdi on the stove top again!



Sabudana Khichdi

Ingredients:

Sago - 1/2 cup
Peanuts - roasted, peeled and coarsely powdered - 5 tbsps
Potato - 1, peeled and chopped, optional
Green chillies - 3
Dried red chillies - 2
Cumin seeds - 2 tsps
Curry leaves - 10
Coriander leaves, finely chopped - 2 tbsp
Juice of half a lemon
Sugar - 2 tsps
Salt - to taste
Oil/ghee - 2 tbsps

Method:

Wash the sago under running water, then soak in water for a couple of hours. Drain the water and wash the sago once again. Cover the sago a moist cheesecloth; let it sit overnight or at least 6 hrs, at the end of which the sago should turn soft and spongy.
Peel and chop the potatoes into small cubes and soak them in water; after 10 minutes, discard the water.

Mix the peanut powder, salt and sugar in the sago, toss till the sago is nicely coated with the peanut powder.

Heat oil/ghee for a minute in the m/w. Pop in the cumin seeds and m/w on high for a minute. Add the curry leaves, red chillies and green chillies and m/w for another 40 seconds.

If using potatoes, add them in and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until they are tender.

Add the sago and m/w for 4 minutes ( more or less, depending on the power of your m/w), stirring after every minute. When the waxy looking sago turns translucent, the khichdi is done. Add coriander leaves and lemon juice and m/w for a minute.


Serve hot with some green chutney or some swetened yogurt.

Easy as it sounds, sabudana khichdi is very easy to mess up. Here's what I do to ensure that my khichdi ends up nice and fluffy - spread the sago on a kitchen towel for a few minutes before mixing in the peanut powder - this works like magic - the excess water, if any, gets completely absorbed and the khichdi will not be soggy, I assure you.



28 comments:

  1. WOw its looking so delicious.. my favourite .

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  2. Sago khichdi as microwave version look delicious and prefect!

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  3. sabudana khichdi in microwave? great...I have to try it

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  4. Oh wow simple to make and delish....

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  5. I hav enev erhad this, looks yumm.
    WHen i came here i was too surprised about the gas, here it is just flowing like nothing.
    We don't have cylinder system here.

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  6. I've been thinking of making this one in microwave for some time now, but wasn't sure. Thanks for giving it a heads up.

    Oh! and Bombay has piped gas now at most places so no looking for cylinders :)

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  7. Hmm sabudana khichdi looks yum yum..nice microwave version :)

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  8. Love this verison for a busy weekday !

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  9. My favorite but never tried in microwave.

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  10. This recipe is such a help ... I have always wanted to try this in the mw. Great tip too! :-)

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  11. yeah my Mil too follows this method(leaving on cloth and adding peanut powder)..urs looks fantastic :-)

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  12. Hi AD,
    Lucky bug u girl!!:) gas cylinders within minutes of callin, we have to wait for a week after booking!!!!!!!!!!!!I am going green with envy ;)naaaaaaa kidding!

    super fast m/w method sabudana khichdi..looks fluffy and yumm, ur foot note is damn helpful thanks :)
    TC

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  13. thats the first thing that struck me when i saw the pics. that the khichdi isnt 'soggy' or 'mushy'. and doing this in the microwave is truly an achievement!

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  14. Wow,That khichadi looks so yummy. I luv sabhudana. Looks so easy to make in microwave:).

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  15. I love sabudana khichdi, Iam not too fond of cooking MV so I always use the stove top method

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  16. Hmm.. Looks awesome! Nice try and a wonderful recipe..

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  17. Wow it looks very yummy and mW's are the best during summer!!!

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  18. U ve done perfectly look like pearl in plate!

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  19. wow love this khichdi my mil makes them during her fasts...:P

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  20. Looks so gud...I never get sabudana khichdi like this..

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  21. Sabudana khichdi...in a microwave....:) Wow cudnt believe my eyes...yummy looking one.You are a master in microwave cooking i guess:-)

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  22. Yum Yum Khichdi,can't believe you made it so well in a MW.I cook on electric stove,I remember that unfortunate day when I invited some friends over and was about to give dum to my biryani,all of a sudden the circuit of the stove went toodle-loo,thankfully I had a friendly neighbor who allowed to finish my cooking at her place:)

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  23. I love sabudana khichdi, but i can never make it right. This looks so well done, all the grains separate. that too in the MC!!

    BTW.. I had found the Roselle here & make the cooler. Isn't it just awesome.. reminds me that i have some more left & this is just the right weather to do it!

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  24. Sabudana khichdi is one of my fave things to snack on in between meals. Never tried microwaving it. Looks just as delish!

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  25. Looks perfect, I make this all the time but have never tried it in the microwave !

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  26. thank you so much ladies...sorry that I have not acknowledged your comments or been around blog hopping, just have been incredibly busy!

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  27. I also love sabudhana khichdi (and wadas too) but never made it in the MW. Shall try this.

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