Easy Sabudana Khichdi

Steps

1. 1.

   Rinse And Soak The Sabudana

   Put the sabudana in a bowl and rinse it 2 or 3 times, rubbing gently, until the water runs mostly clear. That washes off loose starch. Drain, then add water only up to the level of the pearls. Not more. Cover and leave 5 to 6 hours or overnight.

2. 2.

   Check The Pearls

   Press one pearl between your thumb and finger. It should squash flat with no hard white dot in the middle. If it is still hard, sprinkle a spoon of water, cover, and give it another 30 minutes. Fluff with a fork. The pearls should look dry and separate, not wet.

3. 3.

   Roast And Crush Peanuts

   Dry roast the peanuts in a pan on medium-low for 5 to 6 minutes until they smell toasty and the skins crack. Cool, rub off most of the skins, and pulse to a coarse powder. Keep it coarse. Fine powder turns pasty.

4. 4.

   Coat The Pearls

   Tip the crushed peanuts, salt, and sugar over the soaked sabudana and toss with your fingers. This step matters more than it looks. The peanut powder coats each pearl and stops them sticking together in the pan.

5. 5.

   Temper And Cook

   Heat ghee in a wide pan on medium. Add cumin and let it crackle. Add green chilies and curry leaves for a few seconds, then the potato cubes. Fry 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sabudana mix and turn the heat to low-medium. Stir gently, folding from the bottom, for 5 to 7 minutes until most pearls turn translucent.

6. 6.

   Finish And Serve

   Stop as soon as the pearls go clear. Cook longer and they get chewy and clump. Take the pan off the heat, squeeze in lemon juice, scatter coriander, and serve right away with a bowl of plain yogurt.