Sabudana Kheer/Payasa: Sweet Pearly Delight

Sabudana Kheer/Payasa (Tapioca Pearls Pudding)

I am one of those unfortunate people born without sweet tooth! I run a mile away when I am presented with a platter of sweets whenever we visit friends and family. And to add to that my 'much' better half and now my lil moppet dives into anything sweet at a drop of a hat! So they both balance the lack of sugar in my life (pun intended ;)!

But there are times when I can’t suppress the cravings for something sweet once in ‘very rare’ blue moons. The craving gets so bad that I need to eat something sweet as soon as possible, and that is the time when I tie my apron and look for a recipe that doesn’t require too many ingredients or too much of my elbow grease! One such recipe that comes to my rescue is Sabudana Payasa/Kheer, one of my childhood favorites made using Pearl Tapioca.

The name tapioca is a word derived from tipi'óka, the name for this starch in Tupi. This Tupi word refers to the process by which the starch is made edible. However, as the word moved out of South America it came to refer to similar preparations made with other esculents. 'Tapioca' in Britain often refers to a milk pudding thickened with arrowroot, while in Asia the sap of the sago palm is often part of its preparation..

Pearl tapioca is similar to pearl sago, which is used in essentially the same ways. Consequently, tapioca may be called sago, and vice versa.
(Source: Wiki)

As a kid, I used to call this payasa as “KaNNu Payasa”. KaNNu in kannda means ‘eyes’. Yup! Did you just roll your eyes in disgust and say gross?! Well, kids have gross imagination and the sago pearls when soaked in water and cooked turns to look like eye balls.

Coming back to the recipe of Sabudana Payasa/Kheer, it requires just a handful of ingredients and few minutes of your time. So without taking much more of your time, let me give you simple instructions for making this delicious pudding which tastes best when served hot (my hubby’s preference), at room temperature (our lil moppet's preference) or chilled (that’s how I prefer).

Soaked Sabudana for Sabudana Payasa/Kheer

Cashews fried in Ghee

Sabudana Kheer/Payasa (Tapioca Pearls Pudding)

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Sabudana/Sago Payasa/Kheer (Tapioca Pearls Pudding)
Prep Time: 5 mins (excludes soaking time)
Cooking Time: 20-25 mins
Serves: 5-7 People
Recipe Level: Easy/Beginner
Shelf Life: 2 days when refrigerated
Serving Suggestion: Serve hot, warm or chilled as dessert

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Ingredients:
1 cup Sabudana/Sago/Tapioca Pearls
2½-3 cups Water
1 cup Whole Milk
1¼-1¾ cups Sugar
A Pinch of Saffron, crushed
5-6 Green Cardamoms, peeled and seeds crushed to powder
Few Cashews
1 tbsp Ghee/Clarified Butter

Sabudana or Sago Payasa/Kheer (Tapioca Pearls Pudding)

Method:
Take sago pearls in a bowl and rinse them with water till all the scum is washed away. Drain all the water and add another 2 cups of water and let it soak for at least 30 mins.
Drain all the water from soaked sago pearls. Add about 2½-3 cups of water and cook sago pearls in medium flame till they are cooked and become transparent, about 15 minutes.
Mix in milk and sugar and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring in between, for another 5-7 minutes.
While its cooking, heat ghee in a pan and add broken cashews to it. fry cashews to golden brown on medium flame, about 2-3 mins and keep them aside till needed.
Add crushed saffron strands and cardamom powder and let the Payasam/Kheer come to a gentle boil, about 3-5 mins.
Switch off the flame and mix in fried cashews. Serve it hot, warm or chilled and enjoy!

Sabudana Kheer/Payasa (Tapioca Pearls Pudding)

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Sia's Notes:

• Sabudana Kheer/Payasa or Tapioca Pearls Pudding becomes thick as the sago pearls absorb all water and milk as it cools down. So if you prefer your Kheer/Payasa to be little runny, add little more milk and gently heat it for a while.
• Preferably use whole milk when making this Sabudana Kheer/Payasam.
• You can also fry little raisins or sultanas along with cashews and add the Kheer/Payasa. 
• This post is reproduced from my post on Beyond Curries.