Sabudana (Sago/Javvarisi) Upma

Sabudana (Sago) based dishes are very popular in Maharashtra for breakfast and during fasting times. It is used to prepare Kichidi (some what similar to south Indian upma) and Vada. In Tamil Nadu, it is mostly used to prepare Payasam and Vadam.

Sago is known as Javvarisi in Tamil and Sabudana in Hindi.

Cooking time: 15 to 20 minutes other than soaking time

Ingredients

• Sago – 2½ cup
• Grated coconut – 1½ table spoon
• Roasted and coarsely powdered ground nut – 1½ table spoon
• Boiled and cut potato – 1 cup
• Lemon juice – 1 table spoon
• Salt – as per taste
• For seasoning
  • Cumin seeds – 1 tea spoon
  • Ginger chopped – ½ tea spoon
  • Green chilli chopped – 1 table spoon
  • Onion chopped – 2 table spoon
  • Asafetida – pinch
  • Curry/coriander leaves chopped – few
  • Oil – 2 table spoon

Method

• Dry roast sago in a pan for few minutes; when you touch, the sago should be warm; then soak sago for 6 to 8 hours; the water above the sago surface should be less than a centimeter; if more water is there, sago will absorb more water and upma will be sticky.
• Heat a pan with oil and do the seasoning; add sago, salt and mix well.

• Cover and cook for 5 minutes approximately; you can see that sago turns transparent when it is cooked; add grated coconut, ground nut powder, potato pieces and mix well.

• Remove, add lemon juice and mix well.

• Serve hot with curd or pickle or any chutney.

Tips

• Dry roasting sago before soaking helps to avoid sticky upma.