Quinoa Sabudana Khichdi

A quick and easy stir-fry recipe, this Quinoa Sabudana Khichdi is a simple take on the traditional Maharashtrian Khichdi.

It is great as a meal or breakfast and works really well on fasting days! Plus, it comes together in under 30 minutes.

Quinoa, a super versatile ingredient that has now found a spot in so many pantries. From serving as a side with dal, kadhi or curry to making stir-fries with it; quinoa works really well in all the cuisines.

Botanically quinoa is a seed or pseudo cereal. It is neither a legume, pulse or grain. By this concept it is something we can enjoy on fasting days. Learn more about quinoa in this article on Wikipedia. For all these years we have been having samo, buckwheat, sabudana, etc.

Now it is time to enjoy a superfood that is high in protein too. It has far less calories and carbs compared to tapioca and makes a delicious meal too.

Jump to:

• What is Sabudana Khichdi?
• Why this recipe works
• More Fasting Recipes to try
• Ingredients and Substitutions
• How to make this recipe
• Expert Tips and Notes
• Recipe FAQs
• More Quinoa recipe to try
• Quinoa Sabudana Khichdi

What is Sabudana Khichdi?

A common recipe during fasts like ekadashi or navratri, Sabudana Khichdi is a stir-fry made with tapioca pearls, potatoes, peanuts and Indian spices.

This stir-fry is super quick to make and works really well for meal prep too.

There are several different ways of making this khichdi. Some add red chili and turmeric to it, others stick to green chili and ginger as aromatics. My mom often makes it in the microwave to make a quick version that comes together easily.

Similarly, the same variations work with quinoa as well. Whether you add boiled potatoes or cook the potatoes in the same pan; add green or red chili and season with your favorite spices; the choice is yours.

Why this recipe works

• This Quinoa Sabudana Khichdi is super rich in protein. Quinoa being the main ingredient; we replace a lot of the carbs of sabudana with protein from the seeds.
• The recipe is super quick to make. All it needs is cooked quinoa and then the rest of the recipe comes together in under 30 minutes.
• We can enjoy this straight from the pan or refrigerate or freeze the khichdi. This makes the recipe a great one for meal prep too.
• This fast friendly version has just potatoes. However, we can add more vegetables too. Plus, garlic is an optional ingredient and so are Indian spices like turmeric, red chili and garam masala. Add these based on what you are making the recipe for.

Overall, this recipe is great for any day. Beyond fasting days, it also makes a great snack, breakfast or a complete meal too. It is great either with some Masala Chai or with some Yogurt. Plus, when you serve it with cilantro chutney; it makes a great dish.

More Fasting Recipes to try

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Quinoa: I like to start with cooked quinoa for the recipe. It can be cooked before hand and used straight from the refrigerator. Use this quinoa recipe to make it in the Instant Pot. I like to use white quinoa but tricolor blend or red quinoa will work too.
• Potato: Just like the traditional Sabudana Khichdi, I like to add diced potatoes to the khichdi. Raw potatoes can be used or boiled potatoes work too.
• Peanut and Peanut Powder: Peanut powder is an important element in the recipe. It adds crunch and absorbs any moisture in the khichdi to give us dry and fluffy end result. Plus, some whole peanuts adds a lot of crunch to the recipe. Once they fry a little in ghee, they become perfect.
• Spices: Like the traditional khichdi, we add pepper powder, cumin powder, salt and pepper. Plus, some cumin seeds popped in ghee is great.
• Aromatics: I like to add grated ginger, green chili and curry leaves to the tempering. Adding garlic is an option if you are not making this for fasting.
• Ghee: I like to use ghee for all the fasting recipes. Use oil for a Vegan version of the same.

Apart from these, we can add some vegetables and whole spices. These are not consumed on fasting days so I have skipped these. I only add potato in the khichdi.

See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.

How to make this recipe

1- Heat ghee (or oil) in a pan. Once hot, add whole cumin seeds. Let them pop.

2- Next, add green chili, curry leaves and grated ginger.

3- Then add diced potatoes.

4- Cover and let them cook till they are fork tender.

5- Then add whole peanuts and let them fry for a couple of minutes.

6- Once they are crisp, bring everything together.

7- Then add cooked quinoa.

8- Next add crushed peanuts, salt, sugar, pepper powder and cumin powder.

9- Mix well.

10- Add lemon juice and cilantro and enjoy with cilantro chutney and yogurt.

Expert Tips and Notes

• The recipe calls for cooked quinoa and potato. The potatoes can be boiled before hand and diced before adding to the ghee.
• To make the quinoa sabudana khichdi Vegan, replace ghee with oil. Other ingredients are plant based and gluten-free by default.
• This recipe is great to enjoy immediately or make it as part of meal prep. The prepared khichdi can be refrigerated for 2-3 days. Just pop it in the microwave and enjoy warm.
• If the recipe is not for fasting days, add some diced vegetables too. They not only make the recipe colorful, but also add healthy ingredients to it.

Recipe FAQs

More Quinoa recipe to try