When it comes to fasting, the first thing that comes to my mind is Sabudana/Tapioca. I grew up eating sabudana kheer as my grandma used to fast on Ekadashi which comes twice a month. Predominantly Sabudana Kheer used to be her staple diet, along with some roasted peanuts. Unlike other places of the country like Maharashtra, MP etc. where one can find a variety of dishes prepared from Sabudana; in most of eastern Bihar, apart from Saboodana Kheer, there were hardly any delicacies made with it which was popular at that time. Apart from Kheer, I do have amazingly fond memories of having Sabudana Papad made in bulk by my maternal grandma during summers so that we could savor them round the year - which was sort of a ritual that she religiously followed.

It was during our stay in Hyderabad, that I got to taste sabudana khichdi for the first time made by my friend's mom on the occasion of Shravan Somvar Vrat (Monday fast) and I was lucky enough to get a generous share of this scrumptious dish, where I could experience a balanced flavor of mildly sweet, salty, sour & spicy in each bite, and the love and warmth of her motherly care.

Sabudana being rich in carbohydrate provides instant energy and curtails hunger altogether making it a soothing and comforting meal for fasting.  Today I am sharing the recipe of perfect sabudana khichdi that I have learned recently after a number of trial and error in my kitchen. The only important step in making this simple yet delicious dish is the soaking of sabudana which requires a minimum of 4-5 hrs. Let's begin!