Tapioca pearls and sago pearls are made from two completely different plants, the first from the starchy tapioca/cassava root and the other from the starchy pith removed from the trunk of the sago palm. One originated in the New World, the other in Southeast Asia. Yet the two are endlessly confused. Since their starch is very similar, it hardly matters where cooking is concerned. Indian grocers often put both names, tapioca pearls and sagudana or sabudana (sago pearls), on the same packet. I grew up with this kheer, or pudding. When I came home from school in the middle of a hot afternoon, my mother would have individual terra-cotta bowls of this waiting in the refrigerator. It was very simple and basic, nothing more than milk, sago, cardamom for flavor, and sugar. We called it sagudanay ki kheer, or sago pearl pudding, though it may well have been made with tapioca pearls.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Soak the pearls overnight in water that covers them generously. Drain well the next day and leave in the strainer.
Step 2
Bring the milk to a boil in a very heavy, medium pan over medium heat. (I actually like to heat the milk in my microwave oven and then pour it into a pan set over medium heat.) Add the pearls and cardamom and stir them in. Adjust the heat so the milk is at a good simmer but does not threaten to boil over, somewhere near medium low. Cook for about 50 minutes, stirring from the bottom every 5 minutes or so. The milk should not catch at the bottom. Add the sugar and stir it in. Cook another 5 minutes. You should now have 3 1/2–4 cups.
Step 3
Remove the pudding from the heat and allow to cool, stirring every now and then to prevent a skin from forming. Remove and discard the cardamom pods. Put into a serving dish. Cover with plastic wrap, pushing the wrap down so it lies directly on the surface of the pudding. Refrigerate. It will thicken as it cools.
