What is Sabudana Made of

Sabudana is actually a form of tapioca, also known as cassava root. This plant is very common across India, Southeast Asian countries, South America, Portugal, Spain, and West Indies to name a few countries. Sabudana refers to the starch that is extracted from tapioca roots, which is then processed to form spherical pearls that may vary in size. The pearls are produced by passing the moist starch through a sieve under pressure, and then dried.

According to experts, tapioca is not rich in nutrients, even though various cultures consume it as a staple in their regular diet. It is a good source of carbohydrates, and probably is the reason why it is included as part of fasting foods. Due to its high starch content, tapioca is commonly used as a thickening agent too while making stews, soups, etc. You will also find sabudana commonly used in faloodas, bubble teas, fruit slash and other sweetened beverages to add some texture or bite to it.

It is required to first soak the sabudana pearls in water before cooking, for it to rehydrate, when it swells up to almost double its size. Once the pearls are well-drained and pat dry, they are then stir-fried with other ingredients and spices to make the popular sabudana khichdi. There are of course certain tricks involved in cooking sabudana perfectly, or else you will end up with leathery and very chewy pearls. A practice that is followed by some home chefs is to also soak the pearls in curd or dahi for a few hours before making the khichdi. This is said to prevent the pearls from becoming sticky and chewy during the cooking process.