Instructions: The rainy months from lune to September are considered holy in India.The 4 month period is a time when devout Hindus eat no meat or fish. Special fasting foods are made from sago bananas peanuts yoghurt and root vegetables.

how it grows
Sago is made from the viscous sp of a tall shady tree. The tree thrives in hot dry conditions. As with nubber trees a groove is cut in the trunk of the sago palm at intervals and the sp which oozes out is collected. It is strained through special sieves which form it into little soh droplets. These are dried until hard. Depending on the size of holes in the sieve different sizes of sgo are produced.

appearance and taste
Sago balls are like small pearls white and hard. On soaking in water they turn soff and as they absorb more and more fluid they become mushy When cooked they change from opaque to translucent. The taste is bland but creamy. When cooked sago pearls have the texture of caviar spongy and slightly slippery.

buying and storing
indian shops stock sago as well as a close relative tapioca. Store in a dry jar for up to 4 months.

medicinal and other uses
indian medicine believes that sgo and nce cool the system counteracting the heat produced by other foods. A thin sago gruel is given to patients who complain of excess bile due to body heat. The liquid leff affer boiling sago in water is used to starch clothes.

culinary uses
Sago is always washed and left to soften. Once it is soff and can be squashed between 2 fingers it is made into svouries or sweets. Kneaded together with seasoned mashed potatoes into a dough it gives texture and flavour to vadas or small patties that are shallowfried. It is also made into poppadoms that can be deepfried. Sago poppadoms look like sheets of bubbles and are sometimes tinted pink or green for decoration.

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