The sago saga

With the start of the holy month (of fasting for Hindus) of Shravan last week, many households have incorporated the use of sago/sabudana in their dishes as it’s considered as a satiating ingredient that keeps hunger pangs away. Emphasising its role as a fasting food, chef Juliano Rodrigues of Off The Grid, shares, “Sago provides the energy required while fasting as it’s rich in carbohydrates. There are different kinds of fasting dishes prepared in the Northern and Western India like Sabudana Khichdi, Sabudana Casa, and Sabudana Cutlets. Sago is commonly used in South India too to prepare Papadam Wafers, Sabudana Casa, Sabudana Kheer or Payasam.” It’s usually served with roasted peanuts, green chillies and potatoes. However, at Off The Grid, they have chosen to serve it on skewers.

From gruel to garnish

Sago can be consumed in different ways, depending on the technique used to prepare it. Chef Jaydeep Mukherjee, corporate chef, Degustibus Hospitality, says, “Sago Pearls or sabudana is an extremely popular food eaten during fasts or as mentioned in the month of Shravan, reason being it is not a grain, which people refrain from consuming, yet a good source of carbs and energy. As it has a unique texture and taste it can be used to make various kinds of sweet/savoury dishes and has a lot of potential to be experimented with. Chefs, home-chefs, cooks have over the years tried various dishes with sago pearls: mains or even sides, leading most often to successful kitchen experiments.”

How pairing it right can add to its nutritional value?

Many people shy away from consuming sago because it’s rich in carbs, however, chef Vishal Chandnani of Mojo’s Bistro, has a solution for that. He adds, “While I was introducing Chipotle Paneer Tikka on our menu, I wanted something exciting yet interesting to match up the ingredients used in this dish such as chipotle chillies, kasuri methi foam and reduced makhni gravy. I decided to use cooked sago pearls with the Chipotle paneer tikka  and it worked out well. Since the nutritional content of sago is quite low, we often mix it with other ingredients that offer essential vitamins and nutrients, such as milk or fruits and vegetables and even cottage cheese that’s rich in protein.” What has worked for sago is its versatility.

How sabudana found its way into a risotto/raita?

From a quick snack to mains to desserts, sago’s texture can be altered using a different cooking technique. As in the case of the Pan seared parmesan potato gnocchi with sago served at Indigo or the Chatpata sabudana chaat created by Jerson Fernandes, executive chef at Jeon. He says, “A fusion of a paani puri and bhel, the dish is accompanied with crisp sago chips on the side. The sago pearls are first soaked to perfection and then marinated with several special spices including mango powder and ginger powder, it’s then stuffed into the crispy in-house made paani puri cavities and placed over shot glasses filled with a refreshing kokum decocotion.” Apart from a crispy addition and as a topping, chefs have also tried to use sago to recreate a delicious, creamy risotto at Bombay Vintage giving their own spin to an otherwise Italian favourite and topped that with a Sabudana Sweet potato Kheer, which is part of the ongoing Shravan food festival at Diva Maharashtracha. That’s not all, you can try Tiger prawns and Scallop Fettuccine in a light clam lemongrass Burmese sauce, green apple pickle on squid ink sago crisp at Estella or enjoy the Bubble Tea Raita at TAG GourmArt Kitchen.

So, with Shravan setting in, the sago saga has just began, and we can’t wait to see where it takes us.