Sabudana Khichadi (Sago Kitchree) August Holidays – Part 5

Hi Everyone,

This week we conclude the 5-part series on Tastes Like Home August Holidays. When I decided to make this dish for the August Holiday series, I had no idea that it would line up as one of the dishes usually made during Navratri, which concludes today. Navratri is a period of nine days observed by Hindus as the most auspicious days of the lunar calendar. It is a period of fasting and the eating of vegetarian dishes.

You know how some people have bucket lists? Well I have lists of foods and dishes that I would like to try, and this “fried” sago was one of them. As you know, I am always interested in trying new dishes and flavours with familiar ingredients. Prior to this Sabudana Khichadi, I have eaten sago pearls in porridge, as a dessert pudding, and ground sago as Pão de Queijo (Brazilian cheese bread-rolls). I was looking forward to trying the savoury side of sago.

It starts with a 4 to 5-hour or (if you have the time) an overnight soaking of the sago to plump them up. The sago is then fried/sautéed with oil or ghee along with whole spices – mustard seeds and jeera – turmeric, chopped hot pepper, salt, peanuts and potatoes. Fresh cilantro/coriander and a squirt of fresh lime or lemon juice finish the dish. It is very attractive. And I was looking forward to eating it.

I turned up my face after the first spoonful and pushed the bowl away from me. Disappointed. I decided to have a couple more spoonfuls to decipher and understand what it was about the dish that I did not like. It wasn’t the flavour profile; it was the texture. It was soft and a bit gummy; I did not like how it felt in my mouth, and, it tasted, well, a little bland, at least to me. I packed the rest into bowls and give 1 bowl each to two of my taste testers. Guess what? They loved it! For the exact reason that I did not like it – the texture. You see how taste is a subjective thing? They reported enjoying the soft chew