Sago Cardamom Kheer with Dry Ginger & Jaggery
Writer Amrita Amesur finds that the only kheer she enjoys are the ones with sago, adding pops of textural diversity to the dish. There is no space on her table for mushy, baby-food like kheer! In this comforting bowl of gently warming, soothing kheer, Only Earth oat milk adds to the creamy richness of the dish.
Recipe: Sago Cardamom Kheer with Only Earth Oat Milk
(Serves 2-3)
Ingredients
½ cup sabudana or sago (tapioca) pearls
2 cups Only Earth Original Unsweetened Oat Milk
1 cup water to soak the sago
3-4 bashed cardamom pods
1-2 tsp of good quality dried ginger powder
5-6 tbsp shaved jaggery or raw sugar (adjust according to taste)
A teaspoon of extra virgin coconut oil or neutral oil to sauté the cashews and sultanas
A few sultanas and slivered cashews
Method
Rinse the sago pearls a couple of times until the water runs clear of starch. Then soak them in a bowl by simply covering it with water for an hour or two. Soaking will shorten the cooking time and yield a nicely hydrated texture to the sago. They will swell up by the end of the soaking and should look plump. Toss away any excess water.
In a wide mouthed saucepan, bring the Only Earth Oat Milk to a boil. Bash the cardamom pods and tip them into the pot to infuse the milk along with dried ginger powder.
Simultaneously, tip in the soaked sago pearls and allow this to cook until the sago has softened and cooked through. Should take about 20 minutes on a medium low heat. It becomes more translucent as it cooks through. Stir routinely to ensure the milk isn’t burning at the bottom.
The starches from the sago pearls will release and thicken the milk, as it softens.
Check for doneness of the sago which should stay whole but also be soft to eat.
Once cooked through, add in your jaggery or preferred sweetener.
Separately, in a small pan or tadka spoon, sautee the nuts and sultanas in the coconut oil until lightly golden brown and fragrant. Toss the dried fruit into the kheer and mix through.
It really needs no garnish, the pearls should be enrobed in a creamy, comforting and perfumed emulsion with golden brown dried fruits.
It may be served either warm straight away or cold from the fridge. Do note however that if serving cold, please add an additional amount of sweetener while it’s still warm, since the sweetness will dull down as it gets cold.
Thank you to our friends at Only Earth for facilitating this recipe.
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