Sabudana, a high-carbohydrate, low-fat food, is one of the key ingredients in several Indian dishes. Especially during fasting days, sabudana dishes like khichdi, vada and kheer become sources of energy. These soft and spongy tapioca pearls, also known as sago, add a satisfying texture to various dishes and desserts when cooked. But have you ever seen how they are made in a factory?
In a viral video making the rounds on the internet, we see how sabudana pearls are made from cassava (tapioca) roots. A truck full of the harvested roots is first thoroughly cleaned of dirt and mud. The cleaned cassava tubers are then passed through a peeling machine to remove the outer skin.
Following this, they are processed into a milky, starchy mixture. The starch paste is then passed through a series of machines until it is completely purified and dried. In the final step, the dried mixture is crushed again and passed through a sieve to create small, pearl-like balls, known as sabudana. They are then packaged and ready to be dispatched to customers.
From the video's caption, we learn that the entire video was captured at a sabudana-making factory in Tamil Nadu. The text read, "Sabudana ka vada aur Khichdi toh khaye hogi magar kabhi sabudana bante hua dekha hai (You might have eaten sago vada and khichdi, but have you ever seen how sago is made)?"
Watch the video here:
The video garnered appreciation online. Some expressed admiration for the use of machines in preparing sabudana in the traditional form. A few others also dropped emojis in the comment section, appreciating the insight into the sabudana manufacturing process.