Fluffy Sabudana Khichdi with Peanuts, Potato and Lime
Fluffy sabudana khichdi made with soaked tapioca pearls, crushed roasted peanuts, golden potato, cumin and lime. A classic Navratri vrat breakfast.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Rest
- 6 h
- Serves
- 3
Fluffy Sabudana Khichdi with Peanuts, Potato and Lime is a vegan breakfast recipe made with sabudana (medium tapioca pearls), water, raw peanuts. It takes 40 minutes of hands-on time, plus 6 hours resting, serves 3, and each serving has 706 calories, 11 g of protein and 7 g of fiber.
Separate, chewy pearls come down to two things: soaking the sabudana in just enough water to cover it, and tossing it with coarsely crushed peanuts before it goes into the pan. The peanut meal coats each pearl so they don't clump together, and it adds a toasty richness too. Cook the potato in the same pan first, then give the pearls only a few minutes over low heat. Pull them off as soon as they turn translucent, before they go gummy.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups228 gsabudana (medium tapioca pearls)
- 1¼ cups296 gwater, for soaking, just enough to sit level with the pearls
- ⅔ cup98 graw peanuts
- 1 tsp6 gsalt (or sendha namak for fasting)
- 1 tsp4 gcoconut sugar (optional)
- 3 tbsp42 gneutral oil (such as peanut oil)
- 1½ tsp3.2 gcumin seeds
- 2 medium28 gjalapeños, finely chopped (seeded for less heat)
- 12 1 gfresh curry leaves
- 2 medium426 gpotatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1½ tbsp23 gfresh lime juice
- ¼ cup4 gcilantro, chopped
- 2 tbsp7.5 gunsweetened shredded coconut, for garnish (optional)
- 1 65 glime wedges, for serving (optional)
Kit: large bowl, colander, wide nonstick skillet with lid, food processor or mortar and pestle
Tips
- Pearl sizes soak at different speeds. Small pearls can be ready in 2–3 hours, while large ones may need a full night. Always do the squash test before cooking.
- If the pearls still feel firm after soaking, sprinkle on 1–2 tablespoons of water, cover, and leave them for another hour. Adding a lot of water at once makes them mushy.
- For a strict vrat, use sendha namak (rock salt) in place of regular salt, and leave out any ingredients your family's tradition avoids during the fast.
Swap ideas
- Thai or Indian green chilies instead of jalapeños
- Sharper, more traditional heat; 2–3 chilies is enough.
- Sweet potato instead of potato
- Adds sweetness and color. It cooks a minute or two faster, so start checking early.
- Roasted cashews instead of peanuts
- Milder and more buttery, but the pearls will stick together slightly more.
- Lemon juice instead of lime juice
- Very similar brightness, with a slightly softer tang.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
706kcal per serving
Everything else · 3 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 3.6 g 18%
- Sugars
- 5.9 g
- Sodium
- 793 mg 34%
- Potassium
- 877 mg 19%
- Calcium
- 70 mg 5%
- Iron
- 3.6 mg 20%
- Vitamin C
- 42 mg 46%
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg 0%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Tapioca, pearl, dry, Beverages, water, tap, drinking, Peanuts, all types, dry-roasted, without salt, Salt, table, Oil, canola, Spices, cumin seed, Peppers, jalapeno, raw, Curry leaves, fresh (Nutridex; from Gopalan et al. 1980, Nutritive Value of Indian Foods, and Wu Leung et al. 1972, Food Composition Table for Use in East Asia), Potatoes, flesh and skin, raw, Lime juice, raw, Coriander (cilantro) leaves, raw
Method
Rinse the sabudana in a bowl of water, swishing and draining 3–4 times until the water runs only slightly cloudy. Add the soaking water so it sits just level with the pearls, not above them. Cover and soak for 5–6 hours or overnight. To check, press a pearl between your fingers: it should squash easily, with no hard center.
Tip the soaked sabudana into a colander and let it drain for 10 minutes, then loosen the pearls with a fork. In the meantime, dry-roast the peanuts in a wide skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until they smell fragrant and the skins blister, 5–6 minutes. Let them cool, rub off most of the skins, then pulse them to a coarse crumb. Stop before it turns into a paste.
In a large bowl, toss the sabudana with the crushed peanuts, the salt and the coconut sugar (if using) until every pearl is coated.
Heat the oil in a wide nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle until they darken a shade, about 30 seconds. Add the jalapeños and curry leaves and stir for 30 seconds more. Stand back, because the leaves will spatter.
Add the potato cubes and a pinch of salt and stir to coat. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring every 2 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced and golden in spots, 8–10 minutes.
Add the sabudana mixture and fold it in gently with a flat spatula. Cook uncovered over low heat, folding every minute or so, until most of the pearls turn translucent with only a tiny white dot in the middle, 5–7 minutes. Don't overcook it, or the khichdi will turn sticky.
Take the pan off the heat. Squeeze in the lime juice, fold in the cilantro, and taste for salt. Serve hot, topped with shredded coconut and lime wedges if you like.
Storage: Best eaten fresh, because the pearls firm up as they cool. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 day. To reheat, sprinkle with a little water and warm covered in a skillet over low heat, or microwave covered, until soft again.
Questions
- How much protein is in fluffy sabudana khichdi with peanuts, potato and lime?
- Each of the 3 servings has 11 g of protein, 7 g of fiber and 706 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is fluffy sabudana khichdi with peanuts, potato and lime vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does fluffy sabudana khichdi with peanuts, potato and lime take to make?
- 15 minutes of prep and 25 minutes of cooking, so 40 minutes of hands-on time, plus 6 hours of unattended resting.
- Can you make fluffy sabudana khichdi with peanuts, potato and lime ahead?
- Best eaten fresh, because the pearls firm up as they cool. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 day. To reheat, sprinkle with a little water and warm covered in a skillet over low heat, or microwave covered, until soft again.
- What can I substitute in fluffy sabudana khichdi with peanuts, potato and lime?
- Thai or Indian green chilies instead of jalapeños — sharper, more traditional heat; 2–3 chilies is enough.. Sweet potato instead of potato — adds sweetness and color. it cooks a minute or two faster, so start checking early.. Roasted cashews instead of peanuts — milder and more buttery, but the pearls will stick together slightly more.. Lemon juice instead of lime juice — very similar brightness, with a slightly softer tang..
- Does fluffy sabudana khichdi with peanuts, potato and lime contain peanuts?
- Yes — the ingredient list includes peanuts, in some cases as an optional ingredient you can leave out. Check the labels on the products you buy if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published October 3, 2026 ·Indian (Maharashtrian)