Two decade-old Khandani Rajdhani is possibly one of the best stops you can make for a meal this Navratri. Steeped in tradition, there’s an authentic Navaratri vrat thali on offer with desserts like Shrikhand Mawa and Rajgira Sheera. Corporate Chef Hemaram Choudhary tells us that sabudana (sago or pearl tapicoa) and samvat rice are a regular feature in Navaratri fare. “In fact, eating fruits and sabudana are the traditional way of following Navaratri,” he says. The chef gives us a simple step-by-step recipe for Sabudana Kheer that takes just 20 minutes to whip up.
Sabudana Kheer
Prep time | 15 mins | Cook time | 20 mins | Total time 35 mins | Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
(Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml) | ½ cup tapioca pearls or sabudana — for a denser kheer, | 4 cups milk | 4 to 5 tbsp organic unrefined cane sugar or as required | 4-5 green cardamoms, husked and crushed in a mortar-pestle to a semi-fine powder | 2 tbsp chopped cashews | ½ tbsp raisins | 3-4 saffron strands/kesar (optional)
Method
• Rinse the sabudana pearls till the water runs clear of the starch.
• Take a thick-bottomed pan or
sauce pan in which you will be making
the kheer.
• Add the rinsed sabudana pearls and water in the pan.Soak for 15-20 minutes.
• Later, cook the pearls in the pan.
• Meanwhile, heat or warm the milk too. No need to boil the milk.
• After 4-5 minutes, add the milk to the pan and
continue to cook.
• Add sugar and cardamom powder, and simmer
till the pearls have cooked well for about 20-25 minutes on a low to medium flame.
• Keep on stirring occasionally.
• Switch off the fire and add cashews
and raisins.
• Garnish the sabudana kheer with
saffron strands.
• Serve sabudana kheer hot, warm
or cold.
Tip: Cooking sabudana must always be done on a very low flame, which enhances the flavour.