High Protein & High Fibre sabudana (tapioca pearls) recipe for the Navratri season. It is nutritious, made with very less oil, and has the goodness of spinach too. This recipe is a little different sabudana recipe. We often make sabudana khichri or sabudana kheer. But this time, try this sabudana spinach thalipeeth. It is easy to make and tastes very good when hot. You don’t need any chutney or any dip with this.
Check out other Navratri Fasting Recipes too: Quinoa Pulao, Buckwheat Cheela, and Green Spinach Smoothie.
What is Sabudana or Tapioca Pearls?
Sabudana, tapioca pearls, or sago is a small white pearl-shaped food item that is made with the starch of tapioca tree roots. It is also known as the cassava tree found mostly in the Southern part of India.
How to soak and soften Sabudana or Tapioca Pearls?
Tapioca pearls are made with the starch of tapioca or cassava roots. It contains a lot of starch which needs to be washed out else the tapioca will be quite sticky to cook. To soften, first wash them with water 2 to 3 times. Wash them well. Then soak them in water for around 2 hours. Once soaked, you will be able to press them between your fingers. They won’t be completely mushy like boiled potatoes but soft enough to bite.
Some sabudana takes a longer time to get soft. So, keep an eye on them. It may take 1 to 2 hours.
What food items are allowed (or not) in Navratri?
There are two main food items that are not consumed during the Navratri season – onion and garlic. They are considered Tamsik in nature and hence to be avoided. If you are fasting then consuming lentils, grains, any grain flour like whole wheat flour, besan (gram flour), or all-purpose flour, salt, canned food, and the food prepared using onion and garlic are not allowed. Non-vegetarian food items including eggs are also not allowed. Devotees also prefer not to smoke or drink alcohol during these nine days.
Apart from that, you can consume dairy products like curd, milk, paneer, vegetables like potato, tomato, arbi, cucumber, carrot, bottle gourd, eggplant, etc. You can even consume coconut, nuts, and seeds. Spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, cardamom, ajwain, etc. are also allowed.
Moreover, everybody has their own beliefs and follows their own rules. In my opinion, there is nothing right or wrong, allowed or not allowed. You can simply follow what you want. When I was in the hostel, we used to have food prepared with onion and garlic. That is what has been served to us. So, alter the recipe below as per what you eat during the Navratri season.
What grains (or pseudo-grains) can be consumed during Navratri?
Following grains or their flour can be consumed during the Navratri season:
- Buckwheat or Buckwheat Flour (kuttu ka aata)
- Amaranth (Rajgira)
- Quinoa
- Water Chestnut Flour (singhade ka aata)
- Samai (samak ke chawal)
Easy Swaps
- Spinach: Add any veggie of your choice like cauliflower, carrot, or zucchini. Grate them and add to the mixture.
- Peanut Oil: Use any cooking oil of choice – coconut oil, olive oil
Is this recipe Vegan?
Yes. All the ingredients used in this recipe are plant-based and vegan.
More Navratri Recipes
Now grab all the ingredients because you are ready to make this delicious Navratri fasting recipe at home. It is perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And you can even enjoy this on any regular day. You don’t need to limit this recipe to only the fasting season.
If you try this recipe & like it too, please share the photo of your creation on Instagram and tag us @thefearlesscooking. We just love to see your recreation of our recipes.
Happy Cooking 🙂
Love from us
Richa