Saggubeeyam (Sabudana) Payasam
VJ is not a fan of desserts, and Arlo is very picky when it comes to sugary treats, but I LOVE them! I have been fan of Indian desserts since childhood. I would wait for my mom to perform her Pooja and offer prasadam to God (the only part of prayers I participated in). She made the most yummy desserts ranging from Halwa, Paravannam, Payasam and Rava Laddos. They were simply out of the world. She even made khajikayalu occasionally for Dushera or Deepawali. It was my Dads favorite. But I haven’t had it in years, because it takes a lot of time to prep and make it. I’m sure next time I’m with mom, I’ll ask her to make it. I miss eating desserts, but if I crave something sweet these days I snack on popsicles that I get for Arlo. They aren’t too sweet and they aren’t too sugary, doesn’t raise my blood sugars too much, so I indulge in a popsicle once every month.
But every once in a while, I give in to my urges and make payasam. It’s very easy to make, needs minimum ingredients, and I use a little less sugar than the recommended. It’s a very easy recipe. I remember mom used to add Saggubeeyam (Sabudana) or Tapioca Pearls to the Saimya which I used to absolutely hate, but as I grew older I realized how good it actually tasted. I craved for that taste multiple times. So one day I decided to recreate it, and midway I realized I was out of saimya, so used half the milk and made it entirely with tapioca. The result was amazing! It tasted so good, with all the nuts and the raisins. Everyone who had it that day instantly fell in love with it. They couldn’t stop talking about it. I have made it multiple times and everyone wants the recipe. Also saggubeeyam are very healthy (not this way, but still).
Ingredients
Saggubeeyam (Tapioca Pearls) – 2 Cups
Milk – 1/2 Gallon (1.5 Liters approx)
Sugar – 1.75 Cups
Ghee – 4 tablespoons
Cashews – A handful chopped
Almonds – A handful chopped
Golden Raisins – A handful
How To Make
Step 1: Wash the saggubeeyam (tapioca pearls) twice and soak them in water. In an hour, dump the water and leave them for about 5 hours or overnight.
Step 2: In a huge pot bring milk to boil and keep it aside.
Step 3: In a separate pot, once hot add ghee. As the ghee melts, add the chopped almonds, fry them a little and then add cashews. As they start to change color add the raisins. The raisins start to double in size as they are fried in ghee.
Step 4: As these emit a pleasant aroma, add the soaked saggubeeyam and carefully turn them in the ghee. Reduce to the stove between low and medium, and start adding the milk.
Step 5: First only add half the milk, keep stirring it every 5 minutes. Once it comes to a boil, add the rest of the milk.
Step 6: Add the sugar and mix it well. Let it come a boil. Now turn off the stove.
Step 7: Serve it after dinner as dessert.
Tips:
1. You can add cardamom after adding the nuts, crush them a little before adding.
2. You can also use a mix of saimya and saggubeeyam. Half and half of each. Saimya added with the nuts and raisins, fried a bit and then add the saggubeeyam.
