Sabudana upma

Title: Sago / Sabudana upma
Genre: Breakfast / Supper

Serving: One person
Cooking time – 10 minutes
Total time – 15 mins

Ingredients:

• 100 gms Sabudana - rinse well and soak in 300ml drinking water for 3 hours.*
• 1 small onion - finely chopped
• 1 small potato – peeled and finely chopped
• 2 green chillis – finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon – ginger chopped
• 2 teaspoons – chopped curry leaves
• 3 table spoons – roasted peanut – powdered in a blender. Unsalted

Standard seasoning: (1 tbsp oil, channa dal, urad dal, jeera and mustard seeds – a pinch of each)

Procedure:

1. Add seasoning to your pan. Add onions and fry till light brown, add turmeric and mix well.
2. Now add the green chillis, ginger and curry leaves. Sauté for a minute.
3. Add the chopped potato, sprinkle salt to taste and mix all the ingredients till homogeneous.
4. Cover and allow cooking on medium flame for 3 mins.
5. Strain the sabudana thoroughly and add to the pan. Any excess water should be allowed to quickly evaporate, else the upma will become soggy.
6. Mix the sabudana into the spices well. Ensure that there is no water and the upma is powdery. There will be a few lumps but that's okay.
7. Cover and allow to cook for 2 mins.
8. Now sprinkle the 3 table spoons of peanut powder and toss the contents till the sago is coated with crumbly brown speckles.
9. Cover and cook for another 4 minutes on medium flame. This is for the sago to lose its moisture and absorb the flavors of the spices and the oil from the peanut powder.
10. Turn off the stove, take off the lid and mix well. Sprinkle the chopped coriander, replace the lid and leave the pan on the stove for another 5 mins, while the coriander flavor adds itself to the dish.
11. Serve hot. 

Notes:

• It tastes great on its own with no side dishes needed. But if you really want a side dish, make some coconut chutney or tomato onion chutney. Avoid pickles and others with strong flavors.
• This is a mild dish and tastes great without too much spice. Do not add too many vegetables or spices. They kill the genuine flavor of the sago and you will not be able to relish what you have cooked. Believe me, I’ve been there. Keep it simple and it will taste awesome.
• *You can soak the sago the previous evening for 3 hours and just before you sleep, strain it well, transfer to an air tight container and place in the fridge. In the morning, microwave the bowl for 1 minute. Sago ready. If you do not have a microwave, just boil some water, pour over the sago, rest for a minute, and run it through cold water. Same result.
• The chopped potato can also be microwaved in a little water for 1 minute. This speeds up your cooking.
• Don’t throw away the water in which the sago was left to soak. Use it for any other gravy dish or to cook rice.