Sago Delight | Sago Kheer with Fruits

A bowl of golden yellow beauty- Sago delight is just awesome and healthy and it is right in front of your face.

It’s that time of the year when I search deep in my pantry for those milky white tapioca sago pearls. So that something healthy, delicious and nutrition rich food magic for FASTING days can be whipped up. It’s quite inevitable fact that tapioca sago has ever lasting bonding with FASTING. These cute pearl like mini-balls are starchy but some how are preferred food on those NO-FOOD days.

MAHA SHIVARATRI is a special occasion to worship Lord Shiva while chanting bhajans and prayers through out the night. It’s celebrated in most part of India where people visit Lord shiva temples, observe fasting and seek blessings from God. Devotees also maintain “jagaran”an all-night vigil and prayers marking the night as “overcoming darkness and ignorance”. This year the festival is on February 24th which is just two days away.

When I heard Sago delight for the first time, the first image in my mind was something fancy having some unfamiliar ingredients in it. But it wasn’t so. It’s actually recreation of sago kheer with all healthy fruits and nuts. The tapioca sago when soaked up for long hours puffs up to big size which you have to rinse few times in order to get over extra starch. The simmered full fat milk cooks the sago to beautiful translucent pearls. Sugar and the fruits topping over the kheer elevate the deliciousness to next level. There is no hard and fast rule on topping. You can top it with most awesome fruits and nuts of your choice ( Probably you can avoid citrus fruits).

When the strict fasting is not feasible for you then it is advised to consume light food such as sago delight, sago kheer or sabudana thalipeeth. So today stop at the store on way home and pick some tapioca sago and fruits for the celebration. What say?

Print Recipe

Sago Delight | Sago Kheer with Fruits

Prep Time2 hours hrs

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Author: Sumana

Ingredients

• Tapioca Sago Sabudana- 1/4 cup
• Milk- 1.5 cup
• Sugar- 1/8 cup
• Saffron strands- Few
• Cardamom powder- 1/4 tsp
• Mixed fruits and nuts- 1/2 cup

Instructions

Preparation

• Soak sago pearls in 1/2 cup of water for about 2 to 4 hours or overnight. Also soak saffron strands in 3 tsp of milk for about 10 minutes.

Method

• Take milk in a wide pan and bring it to boil in medium flame. Lower the flame and continue cooking for few more minutes. Then add drained sago pearls.
  
• Keep stirring the mixture till the sago pearls get cooked and become translucent. Next add saffron soaked milk and sugar.
  
• Let the sugar dissolve and continue cooking till the kheer becomes semi-thick. Finally include cardamom powder and switch off. Let the kheer cool down to room temperature.
  
• Garnish the cool sago kheer with mixed fruit pieces and nuts. I have used mango cubes, grapes, cashews, raisins and chopped alomonds. You can use fruits of your choice. Very delicious sago delight is ready.
  

Notes

• Rinse the soaked sago thoroughly to remove excess starch.
• Saffron strands infuse nice color to the sago delight. So do not skip it.
• Adjust sugar as per your taste buds. I have used 1/8 cup which is sufficient sweetness for me.
• You can include fruits like pomegranate and banana too which would enrich the color of delight.
• If you don't like to bite the nuts like almond, you can even powder it and use.