Sabudana Khichdi Recipe

1. Wash and soak 1 & 1/2 cup tapioca (shabudana) in water. Keep the water level just about 1/2 cm above the level of tapioca. Let it soak for 5-6 hours. After soaking, it absorbs all the water and puffs up.
   
2. Wash and peel 1 potato and cut it into 1/4th. Cut each 1/4th part into few mm thick slices.
3. Add 1 cup roasted peanut powder*, salt to taste and 2 tsp sugar to the tapioca and mix well.
4. In a pan, heat 4 tsp oil and add 1 tsp cumin seeds. Add 2 chilies finely chopped or ground into a fine paste (If you add the chili paste, add it to the tapioca in step 3). Add the sliced potatoes, stir fry for a minute and cover to cook. The potatoes will become soft and cooked in a minute or two.
5. Add the tapioca and mix. Reducer the gas to low flame and cover to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, till the tapioca starts turning golden brown/pinkish in color. If the tapioca still has some moisture left in it (some of the tapioca varieties do not absorb water so well and will stay moist after soaking), then do not cover when cooking. Make sure to keep the gas on low and stir every 2-3 minutes to avoid burning at the bottom.
6. The best way to avoid burning is to cook in a microwave instead of gas. If you want to cook in a microwave, transfer all the contents to a microwave safe bowl and cook for about 10 minutes (covered or uncovered depending on the moisture content of the tapioca), again stirring occasionally, till it changes color.
7. Garnish with fresh grated coconut and finely chopped coriander and serve hot with Sweet Lemon Pickle and buttermilk.

*Roast peanuts in a pan till some black spots start appearing on the outside. Crush a little with hands to separate peels. Blow away the peels and grind the peanuts coarsely.