This is my 500th Post : Sabudana (Tapioca Pearls/ Sago) Pudding with Caramelized Bananas.

This is my 500th Post ... Thanks to all my Friends for the same ...

"Naivedyam : Sabudana (Tapioca Pearls/ Sago) Pudding with Caramelized Bananas" ... A delicious kheer type of dish I prepared around a decade back and got hooked on to its simple taste ... when there are back to back festive days, it is really hectic and confusing to prepare simple yet tasty variety of dishes ... added on is the fact that it has to be satvic dish ... well, we love this one to be relish this after no onion- garlic- rice meals ... Yummilicious ...

** Life is one long journey with lots of ups and downs, but then definitely the challenge becomes that much more when it comes to food as the more you cook the more there are to be done. I have just crossed a small milestone of 500 post and the culinary journey is sure to be a long one. Some are sure to join me, while many may drop out too, but a few will definitely walk along with me all through and make it that much more merrier ... Thanking each one who made it fruitful and inspired me to do that much more ... 

** This is my own concoction of dessert which I prepared as Naivedaym though it can be prepared any day and relished by those who have a sweet tooth. Sabudana/ tapioca pearls is very versatile when it comes to preparing of payasam and turns out lovely and one can never go wrong once the cooking technique is learnt. You just need to be careful so that it does not get burnt at the bottom and the rest is breeze work. You can use any bananas for this dish including nendrabale kele (south Indian cooking banana) and it turns out great. 

** Here is my own simple recipe for "Sabudana (Tapioca Pearls/ Sago) Pudding with Caramelized Bananas" ... My very own style .... 

** Wash and soak one cup of Sabudana/ Sago/ Tapioca pearls in 4-5 cups of water for 2 hrs. Drain off excess water and keep it aside. Bring about 2 cups of water to boiling point and then lower heat, add in the strained sabudana and stir well, cook till they turn out translucent/ mirror like finish in appearance adding in more boiling water if necessary.

** Note : Be very careful as this is the only crucial step as cooking of sabudana can turn out yielding into sticky mass and burnt at bottom if not kept stirring. 

** When the sabudana is cooked and done add in one cup of thick coconut milk and mix well. (I added from ready made pack available in general stores). When the mixture comes to almost boiling point, lower heat to medium and add ½ cup of sugar/ shakkar/ sakkara (plus or minus depending on individual’s taste) and mix well. 

** When the sugar gets completely melted, stir and cook for another 5 minutes. Do not add much of water as the sabudana mixture should be thick. In a small bowl add 1 tsp cornflour to ½ cup of water and mix well. See that there are no lumps formed and is smooth. Add this to the cooking Sabudana mixture and mix well. 

** The texture of the sabudana will start thickening, so be prepared to keep stirring. The puddings should get very thick, such that you should be able to spoon them into glasses and not pour it into them, so avoid adding water or extra coconut milk. Since it is pudding it is necessary to add cornflour a thickening agent unlike for payasam.

** The sabudana pudding is ready, remove and let it get completely cooled. Once it has reached room temperature add a tsp of Vanilla essence and mix well (Optional but turns out very tasty and flavorful). Put the pudding in an air tight container after cooling and then keep it in the fridge to get chilled for about 2-3 hours.

** To prepare the Caramelized Bananas : You can use any ripe bananas though nendrabale kele would taste wonderful. This time however I did not have them at home so I used the normal Cavendish ripe bananas which also turns equally good. Peel out the skin of 4-5 ripe Bananas, slice them into thick circular rings and keep them ready aside. 

** Heat a thick bottomed kadai or non stick pan, add 1 tblsp of fresh homemade ghee, when it melts, add in 1 cup of Demerara sugar or ordinary sugar add 2-3 tblsp of water and bring it to melting point on high heat by stirring all the time, when the sugar melts, lower heat to medium and continue till it becomes brown ie. caramelizes, 

** Immediately add in the prepared and kept bananas pieces and mix well, continue cooking on low heat till the bananas are coated well and you get a thick coated brown consistency. Remove and let cool completely and then keep it also in the fridge to get chilled.

** For Serving : The pudding needs to be added into glasses in layers to be served. Just spoon in Sabudana pudding to 1/2 level of the glass. Add in a scoop of caramelized bananas in 1/4 inch thick layer, top it with another layer of sabudana and again a tblsp or layer of banana as shown in picture. You can add in more layers depending on individual taste. 

** "Sabudana (Tapioca Pearls/ Sago) Pudding with Caramelized Bananas" is chilled  and ready to be served.  Best to be served as mentioned above layering them but you can also serve in a single layer just topped with bananas too depending upon how sweet you like to serve or relish the pudding. Try it out and enjoy with your family and friends. 

** As for Naivedyam, it is individual wish to do so as some are hesitant to serve cold offerings to God, in which case you can serve just as a dessert too. But I found that this one tastes great only when served cold and there are a few items in our cuisine which does need to be kept in fridge to avoid getting spoilt, like harshala etc. which are offered as Naivedyam.

** I love to experiment with dishes giving them my own little twist while trying to maintain the traditional basics of the food intact and most of the time they have turned out fantastic and my family has always appreciated them. I encourage all out there to go ahead and try out new methods in cooking and making that much more appealing and enjoyable to your family.