Sabudana Idli | Sago Idli | Javvarisi Idli | Sabakki Idli

5 from 6 votes

Sabudana Idli is easy to make, soft and spongy, filling and delicious recipe with spicy red chutney for fasting, upvas, and vrat days.

Nothing can beat the taste of hot idli with some chutney. Agree?

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Snack

Cuisine: Indian, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, north indian, South Indian, Tamil Nadu

Servings: servings

Calories: 258kcal

Author: Kushi

Wash and soak sabudana in water for 4 to 6 hours. I generally soak it overnight.
2 cups Sabudana or Sago or Tapioca Pearls
Next morning drain the water from sabudana, and to this, add sooji rava or semolina, curd, salt, and mix well. Note that I have not added any water. I got the right consistency just by adding yogurt (dahi). The batter should be thick like the regular idli batter. You can check my video on sabudana idli for a better idea about batter consistency.
2 cups Sooji rava or Semolina, 2 cups Yogurt or Curd or Dahi, Salt, to taste
Cover and keep this batter aside for 2 hours.

Depending on the steamer or cooker or instant pot you will use, add water to it. We are steaming idli for around 15 to 20 minutes, so make sure you add enough water to the steamer.
Place steel ring or rack, cover the steamer, and bring the water to a rolling boil.
Grease all the idli molds with oil. You do not have to grease khotto or moode molds before adding the batter.
Depending on the size of molds, fill ¾ of each mold with the batter.
Arrange it on the steamer and steam it for 15 to 20 minutes. To check if it idlis or khotte are done, insert the back of a spoon at the center. It should come out clean. The cooking time may vary slightly depending on the flame’s intensity and the thickness of the idlis. Switch off the flame.
Open the lid slightly to allow the steam to escape. Let this sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
Run the back of a spoon around the edges of the idli mold. Remove the idli and transfer it to the plate. You can remove the weaving sticks/thorns from moode and kotte and peel the leaves off to extract steamed sabudana dumplings. You can check my video for the same.
Sabudana Idlis are now ready. Serve them with red chutney given below.

In a mixie or blender jar, add grated coconut, red chilies (adjust to taste), coriander seeds, hing, and salt along with ½ to 1 cup of water for the desired consistency and grind to a smooth paste.
1 cup Grated coconut, 5 Dry red chilies, 1 teaspoon Coriander seeds, Pinch of Asafetida or Hing, Salt, to taste, Water, as needed
Transfer it to a bowl. Serve it along with idli as needed.
When not in use, keep the chutney in the refrigerator for it to remain fresh.

Pour 2 to 3 cups of water in the steel insert of your Instant Pot (IP). Place a trivet or ring.
Use saute mode, let water get heated up, and start boiling.
Grease idli molds with oil. You do not have to grease khotte or moode.
Arrange kotte, moode, and idli molds in your IP.
Close the instant pot lid. Switch to steam mode. Steam for 15 to 20 minutes in venting mode. The timer does not work on venting mode, and instant pot will not beep here, so set an external timer.
After the cooking time is done, let this sit for 5 minutes before removing it from the IP. Insert a toothpick, and it should come out clean at this point. If not, steam for another 2 to 3 minutes.

In our hometown and community, we are allowed to eat semolina or sooji rava on fasting days. You can also substitute semolina with varai (barnyard millet or sama ke chawal)
If the batter is too thick, adjust the consistency by adding water and if it becomes too thin, adjust by adding a little more sooji or semolina.