Sabudana Kheer: The Complete Guide to India's Beloved Fasting Dessert
Creamy, cardamom-scented tapioca pearl pudding — a beloved Indian fasting (vrat) dessert for Navratri, Ekadashi, and Maha Shivaratri.
Ingredients
Ingredients for Sabudana Kheer (with Measurements)
- ½ cup Sabudana (tapioca pearls) small or medium
- 4 cups Full-fat milk (about 1 litre)
- ½ cup Sugar to taste
- ½ tsp Green cardamom powder (about 4–5 pods, crushed)
- 1.5 cups Water, for soaking and the first stage of cooking
For garnish and a flavour lift:
- 10–12 pcs Almonds, slivered
- 10–12 pcs Cashews, chopped:
- 1 tablespoon Pistachios, slivered
- 1 tablespoon Raisins
- Saffron: a generous pinch (optional, but lovely)
- 1 teaspoon Ghee for toasting the nuts (skip it for vegan)
Instructions
Rinse and soak the sabudana
- Rinse the pearls under running water. Keep going till the water stops looking milky.
- Drain. Cover with fresh water, about an inch above the pearls. Walk away for 3 to 4 hours.
Toast the nuts
- Warm the ghee in a small pan. Toast the almonds, cashews, and pistachios till golden and nutty.
- Toss the raisins in for the last few seconds to plump. Set the lot aside.
Cook the soaked sabudana
- Drain the pearls. Bring about a cup of water to a gentle boil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Slide the sabudana in.
- Simmer 5 to 7 minutes, stirring here and there, till every pearl goes fully see-through. The heavy pan isn't fussy.
Add the milk
- Pour the milk in. Stir. Bring it to a gentle boil, then drop to a steady simmer. Cook 12 to 18 minutes now, stirring often, scraping the bottom.
- It thickens as the milk reduces and the tapioca lets go of its starch.
Sweeten and flavour
- Pearls completely soft? Kheer thick enough? Stir in the sugar. Give it another 3 to 4 minutes to dissolve.
- Add the cardamom, the saffron if you're using it, and most of those toasted nuts and raisins.
Rest and finish
- Off the heat. It thickens as it cools, so stop while it's still a touch looser than you want
- Scatter the reserved nuts on top. Serve it warm. Or chill it. Once the soaking's behind you, the whole thing's maybe half an hour.
Notes
Cooking Tips for Perfectly Soft Sabudana Pearls:-
- Nearly every kheer disaster comes down to two things. The soak. The heat.
- Soak properly. Water an inch over the pearls.
- Use a heavy pan and keep the heat low—sabudana plus milk plus a roaring flame equals scorched starch.
- Every time. Stir gently. Hold the sugar back till the pearls are soft.
- Tapioca keeps drinking up liquid after you kill the heat. So cook it a shade thinner than you want. Loosen it later with warm milk if it tightens.