Beetroot Sabudana (Tapioca Pearls) Payasam (Kheer).

"Beetroot Sabudana (Tapioca Pearls) Payasam (Kheer) topped with Almond Slivers" ... This is my own concoction of payasam prepared as special Naivedyam to Lord Ganesha in gratitude for bringing in so many lovely friends in my life ... my heartfelt thanks to all of you who have stood through thick and thin in this culinary journey and made KD a household name today ... God Bless All ...... 

** It’s two years since I started a food group “Konkani Delicacies”. The culinary journey with started with just a few friends has now grown in membership of almost 2K. Though the numbers are not what we are after as we always appreciate participation, it is really heartwarming to get personal request for addition into groups. We want to keep the group a small but full fledged one as it is easier to bond with each other and grow as family. As a special tribute to all those who made this possible I wanted to make some sweet dessert that was something special and new. This is my very own take off on the payasam/kheer with addition of beetroot and it tasted awesome. Thanking all my friends for making life so beautiful and the journey fantastic. 

** Here is my simple recipe for "Beetroot Sabudana (Tapioca Pearls) Payasam (Kheer) topped with Almond Slivers"  … My Style …. 

** Preparing of Sabudana / Tapioca Pearls : Soak ½ cup of large sized variety of sabudana/tapioca pearls in a large bowl adding about 3-4 cups of water. Leave this covered aside for about 2 hours. Drain off the water completely and leave it aside to swell on its own for another 2-3 hours. You can prepare this in advance and keep it in the fridge and use as and when necessary. It remains good for 2-3 days. Sabudana should swell properly and look like small white pearls for you to get the best spongy effect. So soaking and resting period is very important. You may add in the sabudana directly but the effect will not be the same as the soaked one. Immediately cooked one;s will not give you the above softness sometimes. But you are free to choose whichever method that suits you. 

** Preparing of Beetroot : Peel off the skin of one medium sized beetroot and then grate it. Heat 1 tblsp ghee in a thick bottomed kadai, when hot add in the grated beetroot and fry on low heat for at least 4-5 minutes well. Sprinkle some water, cover and cook on low heat for 3-4 minute till it is cooked, it does not take much time. Keep this ready aside. 

** Add in the prepared sabudana (in the above given method) in a thick bottomed vessel and add in about half a liter of hot water. Cook on low to medium heat, stirring often to avoid it getting stuck to the bottom. If you find the water is less and the sabudana needs to be cooked add in a little bit and further cook till thick and the pearls are slightly transparent. Meanwhile heat half a liter of full fat milk and once it comes to boiling point lower the heat and let simmer for 5-7 minutes. 

** Add the milk to the almost cooked sabudana and mix well. Add in 1.5 cups (+/- depending upon how sweet you want the payasam to be) and mix well. Cook till the milk has blended in well with the sabudana and they look thick and creamy. Now lower the heat to minimum and add in the cooked beetroot and mix well. Let the whole payasam simmer for a good 5-8 minutes. Keep stirring in between to avoid it being burnt and if too thick add in some milk or water using your judgment. Remove and keep it aside covered for 30 minutes. Add in 2-3 tblsp of almond slivers for garnishing and ½ tsp of cardamom powder and mix well. Done. 

** "Beetroot Sabudana (Tapioca Pearls) Payasam (Kheer) topped with Almond Slivers" is done and ready to be served as Naivedyam to God and thereby be served to family and friends. Tastes awesome when served just hot and fresh. I served this as Naivedyam and then along with other combo meal dishes on the occasion of 2nd year completion of my food group. My family loved the payasam very much, not to mention the beautiful color the payasam had. Do try this out. 

** Note : Remember to fry the beetroot, cook well and add the same at the end of the preparation of payasam. Do not add it earlier or without cooking the same as the payasam may get curdled while doing so. Also this payasam should be consumed soon and does not keep well if stored even in fridge. So do not prepare the same in bulk and if still in excess distribute it immediately amongst the needy and finish it off instead of wasting the same. 

** An Earnest Request : There are many more recipes of different types in the blog. For all my Recipes, use the search option or the label section in the Blog. If you are still not able to find it or have a query, please leave a message in comment section or mail me the same. I will try my best to get back to you as soon as possible. Do try out various types of dishes included in the Blog and Enjoy them with your family and friends and do give me a feedback if possible. 

** I am happy to inform you that I have also started a food group for by the name "KONKANI DELICACIES" which is over and year old, with about 19K strong members. It is a pleasure to inform that you will find in the group many more recipes posted by our expert members and you too can share some of your own. The link to the group is posted on the left side of the blog page. Do join us in our culinary journey. I strongly believe in Sharing and always endorse that "Sharing Is Caring" … Thank You ….