Photo: Sumit Surai · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Maharashtra · Dessert

Sabudana Kheer

Tapioca pearls simmered in full-fat milk until they become translucent, glossy and suspended in a lightly thickened saffron-cardamom-scented milk — a fasting-friendly dessert served on Ekadashi, Navratri and other upvas (fasting) days when grain-based sweets are prohibited. The pearls are the visual highlight — each one perfectly tender with a slight chew at the centre, floating in a silky milk base.

🧺 Ingredients

• ½ cup (90 g) small sabudana (tapioca pearls — small variety, not large)
• 750 ml (3 cups) full-fat milk
• 4 tbsp sugar (adjust)
• 20 saffron strands soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• 2 tbsp pistachios, slivered
• 1 tbsp charoli seeds
• 1 tbsp cashews, halved and toasted in 1 tsp ghee
• 1 tsp ghee (for finishing)
• Do not soak for more than 30 minutes — over-soaked sabudana dissolves into a starchy glue rather than remaining as distinct pearls

👩‍🍳 How to make Sabudana Kheer

1. Wash sabudana gently in cold water (do not rub — the starch coating must be mostly retained for them to thicken the milk properly).
2. Soak in 1 cup fresh water for 20–30 minutes until pearls have absorbed the water and swelled slightly.
3. They should be softened but not dissolved.
4. Drain.
5. Bring 750 ml milk to a boil in a heavy pan over high heat, stirring frequently.
6. Add soaked, drained sabudana.
7. Reduce to low-medium heat.
8. Simmer, stirring gently every 2–3 minutes, for 18–20 minutes until the pearls turn from white and opaque to fully translucent and glossy.
9. Visual cue: each pearl should have no white centre when you press one gently between your fingers.
10. The milk will have thickened slightly from the released tapioca starch.
11. Add sugar.
12. Stir over low heat for 3 minutes until dissolved.
13. Add saffron milk, cardamom and ghee.
14. Fold in toasted cashews.
15. Taste and adjust sugar.
16. The kheer should be milky, lightly thickened (flows freely but not as watery as plain milk), with the translucent pearls suspended throughout.

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