Sabudana Thalipeeth (Sago Thalipeeth) is a crispy flatbread made using tapioca pearls or sabudana. It is a Maharashtrian dish and made for vrat (Hindu fasting days). Here is how to make it.
½teaspoonrock salt (sendha namak)use regular salt if not making it for vrat
1teaspoonfinely chopped green chilies
¼cupcoarsely powdered roasted peanuts
1teaspoonlime juice
1teaspoonsugar
¼cupamaranth flour (rajgira atta)or any other gluten-free flour
1teaspooncumin seeds
oil or ghee for frying
Instructions
Wash sabudana with water to remove any impurities. Do not wash it too much like we do to make the sabudana khichdi. We need the starch in this recipe to bind the mixture.
Soak the sabudana in ½ cup water for 6-8 hours.
You should be able to mash the soaked sabudana and it shouldn’t have a hard center. If the sabudana still has a hard center, add 2-3 tablespoon water and soak for another hour.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together soaked sabudana, potatoes, cilantro, salt, green chili, peanuts, lime juice, sugar, rajgira atta, and cumin seeds.
Knead well to make dough. The dough should be easily pliable. If it is very dry, splash a little water and mix well.
Heat a nonstick griddle (tawa) over medium heat.
Grease a parchment sheet or a banana leaf with oil.
Tip - Do not use a plastic sheet as it might get stuck to the griddle while transferring the thalipeeth.
Wet your hands with water and take a small lemon size ball of the dough and shape it into a round. Press it gently between your palms and keep it on the parchment sheet.
Using your fingers, shape the dough to make a 5-inch round. Keep smoothing the edges using your palms. The thickness of the round must be approximately ⅛th inch and the edges must be slightly thinner than the center.
Make a small hole in the center of the circle using your finger.
Now lift the parchment paper and transfer the thalipeeth onto the hot griddle. Peel the parchment paper gently.
Pour ½ teaspoon oil in the hole and drizzle 1 teaspoon oil on the sides of the thalipeeth. Cook until the bottom is browned and crisp (3-4 minutes).
Flip the thalipeeth and drizzle some more oil on the sides and in the hole. Cook from the other side for another 3-4 minutes. Make all the thalipeeth in the same manner.
Serve hot with plain yogurt, masala chai, and vrat wali chutney.
Try to use freshly boiled potatoes as they are better for binding the sabudana.If the dough is too dry, the thalipeeth might break while rolling. In this case, sprinkle a little water on the mixture and mix it again. It can also break if the mixture is too loose. Add some more flour if the dough looks very loose.Be very careful while soaking the sabudana. Do not over soak it or use excess water, otherwise, it will become mushy.Avoid adding overcooked potatoes as they will add moisture to the dough and the thalipeeth might break while cooking.Peanuts should be coarsely ground and not into a fine powder.Adjust the green chilies as per your taste, If making it for kids, you can skip adding them too.