Sabudana Thalipeeth are crispy and soft pancakes made with tapioca pearls (sago), mashed potatoes, ground peanuts and spices. These delicious sago pancakes are often made for Hindu religious fasting or vrat like Navratri, Ekadashi and Mahashivratri. They are also known as Upvasache Thalipeeth in the Marathi language.
About Sabudana Thalipeeth
Sabudana also known as sago or tapioca pearls are white colored small balls or pearls made from the roots of the cassava plant (tapioca, yuca).
Various Sabudana Recipes are often made for Hindu fasting days. Usually I make Sabudana Vada, Sabudana Kheer or Sabudana Khichdi during fasting.
This Sabudana Thalipeeth is also such snack meant for fasting. You could also call this tasty preparation Sabudana Roti.
You can make these sabudana thalipeeth instead of sabudana vada if you don’t want to eat any deep fried snack. Sabudana thalipeeth is a light snack and ideal for people who are fasting.
The way to make the mixture is same as sabudana vada. To make the recipe, you have to first soak the sabudana in water for some hours or overnight. Drain all the water after the sabudana pearls are soaked well enough.
The sabudana is then mixed with mashed potatoes, peanut powder, coriander leaves, ginger, a few spices and edible rock salt.
The ingredients are mixed well and shaped/flattened into round discs, which are then pan fried or roasted on a skillet or tawa.
Serve the Sabudana thalipeeth or Upvasache Thalipeeth with any falahari chutney or raita. I served with vrat ke dahi aloo and tamarind dates chutney.
If you are looking for more Navratri Fasting Recipes then do check:
How to make Sabudana Thalipeeth
Soak Sabudana
1. Pick and rinse ⅔ cup sabudana well, till you get transparent water when rinsing. Soak them overnight or for 8 to 9 hours in enough water in a bowl.
Depending upon the quality of sabudana you can soak them for 2 to 3 hours also. I always soak them overnight as soaking for 2 to 3 hours doesn’t work for the quality of sabudana which I get in my city.
It is very important to soak the sabudana pearls very well. They should be completely softened that you can mash them easily when pressed between two fingers.
There must not be any hardness in the center. Un-soaked or under-soaked sabudana will burst while cooking and also make the thalipeeth very hard in texture.
2. The next day, drain all the water really well. Make sure there is no water in them. It is an important step not to be missed.
3. Measure and keep all the ingredients ready for making sabudana thalipeeth.
Make Sago Mixture
4. Add 2 large or medium sized boiled, peeled and mashed potatoes to the soaked sabudana. Make sure that the mashed potatoes are warm or at room temperature.
Do not add hot mashed potatoes to the sabudana as this will partially cook the sabudana starch and make the mixture sticky.
You can cook the potatoes in a stovetop pressure cooker, pan, steamer or Instant pot adding water as required.
5. Next add the following ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ inch finely chopped ginger
- sendha namak (rock salt) as required
6. Also add ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves and ¼ cup coarsely ground roasted peanuts.
For the peanuts first roast ¼ cup peanuts in a pan or skillet until crunchy. Then once cooled, crush them to a semi-fine powder in a mortar pestle or spice grinder or mixer grinder.
7. Finally add 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
8. Mix very well to make an even mixture.
Make Sabudana Thalipeeth
9. Apply some peanut oil on your palms. Take some portion from the mixture and begin to flatten it with your palms to a round shape. you can also flatten on a ziplock bag. I find it easier to flatten with my palms.
10. Heat a nonstick frying pan or a well seasoned cast iron skillet or tawa. Spread 1 or 2 teaspoon of peanut oil or ghee on the pan.
11. Place the flattened round (thalipeeth) on the frying pan. Keep the heat to medium low to medium.
12. When one side is golden and crisp then using a spatula carefully turn over. If you want you can drizzle or spread some peanut oil or ghee.
13. When this side also gets crispy and golden. Then flip once more if needed. You can flip a few times to ensure that the sabudana thalipeeth is cooked evenly and well.
14. If you have a large pan, you can cook 2 to 3 sabudana thalipeeth at the same time.
15. Repeat and similarly pan fry the rest of the thalipeeth.
Serve sabudana thalipeeth with a phalahari chutney or raita or plain yogurt. You can also sweetened the curd with some sugar or jaggery.
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Sabudana Thalipeeth Recipe (Fasting Snack)
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup sabudana (tapioca pearls)
- 2 medium or large potatoes – boiled, peeled and mashed
- ½ teaspoon Cumin Powder
- 4 tablespoon peanuts – roasted and coarsely ground
- ½ inch ginger – finely chopped or grated
- ¼ cup coriander leaves – chopped
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar or add as required
- rock salt – edible and food grade (sendha namak), add as required
- peanut oil or ghee as required for pan-frying
Instructions
Soaking sabudana
- Pick and rinse the sabudana well till you get transparent water when rinsing.
- Soak them overnight in enough water in a bowl.
- The next day, drain all the water very well.
- Make sure there is no water in them.
Making sago mixture
- Add the mashed potatoes and all the ingredients to the soaked sabudana. Mix well.
- Heat a non stick frying pan or a well seasoned cast uron skillet or tawa.
- Spread 1 or 2 teaspoon of peanut oil or ghee on the pan.
- Apply some oil on your palms.
- Take some portion from the mixture and flatten it with your palms.
- You can also flatten on a ziplock bag.
Cooking sabudana thalipeeth
- Place the flattened round (thalipeeth) on the frying pan. Keep the heat to medium-low or medium.
- Fry till both sides are golden brown and crisp. Repeat.
- If you have a large pan, you can cook 2 to 3 thalipeeth at the same time.
Serving suggestions
- On fasting days, serve sabudana thalipeeth with any chutney or raita or homemade tomato ketchup made without onions and garlic.
- You can also have it with curd (yogurt) that has been sweetened with some sugar or jaggery.
- For non-fasting days, you can serve with a chutney or raita or tomato ketchup made with onions or garlic.
Notes
- Make sure to soak the sabudana pearls according to their variety and quality, that is, either overnight or for a couple of hours. Soaking of sago pearls helps them to soften and they get mashed easily, when pressed between the fingers.
- It is important to soak the sabudana very well and they should be completely softened and do not have any hardness in the center. Under-soaked sabudana will burst while cooking and also make the thalipeeth hard in texture.
- To avoid a pasty or sticky texture in the dish, drain sabudana very well.
- You have to cook the potatoes until soft, and not overcook as then the thalipeeth mixture will become sticky. Also, drain them well and mash while potatoes are still hot or warm. Then, add lukewarm mashed potatoes to sabudana.
- You can use a stovetop pressure cooker, steamer, pan or Instant Pot to cook the potatoes. Add water, as required depending on the mode of cooking or equipments you use.
- For a spicy taste, add finely chopped green chilies. In place of coriander, you can even add 2 tablespoons mint leaves for a minty flavor.
- For fasting, use peanut oil or ghee to roast or pan-fry the thalipeeth. For non-fasting days, you can use any neutral flavored oil.
- It is best to use a non-stick pan or well-seasoned cast iron skillet to cook these rotis. Using these, you can avoid sticking of the thalipeeth on the pan.
- Make a non-satvik variant of the same recipe by adding some onions, garlic or garlic chives in it. Use regular white salt, instead of rock salt. It makes for a tasty tea/coffee time snack.
- You can easily halve, double or triple this recipe for making smaller or larger batches.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
Sabudana Thalipeeth recipe from the archives was first published on April 2013.
