Sagu Recipe

Sagu is a super delicious side dish of vegetables simmered with tempering spices and thickened with fried gram flour. This is a fast dish that gets done under 20 mins and it goes well with poori, rava idli, roti, chapati, sada dosa, set dosa and uttapam. The word “SAGU” is most commonly used in Udupi/Mangalore restaurants, to refer a side dish served with breakfast items. In Karnataka, there are different versions, made with varying ingredients like mix vegetables, or with just potatoes.

About Sagu Recipe

If made with only potatoes, it is called aloo sagu or Bombay sagu. The dish made with mixed vegetables is known as veg sagu and it uses carrots, kohlrabi (navil kosu), peas, potatoes and French/green beans. Whole spices like marati moggu, cinnamon etc are ground with coconut and coriander leaves. This looks similar to the Veg kurma but with a different flavor profile due to the addition of various other ingredients.

My Bombay Sagu recipe helps you make a delicious side with potatoes and peas, under 20 mins. If you don’t like using only potatoes, use mixed vegetables like carrots, green beans, peas and a small amount of potatoes. This recipe does not use onions and garlic, so it is a fast dish that does not require much time.

Though I make other sides like this Poori Masala, Aloo Masala, Potato Kurma and Bombay Chutney to go with the pooris, this potato sagu is made most often since it is super easy and quick. The best part is that it keeps us full for long, meaning it is a great side for our breakfast or lunch.

Ingredients and substitutes

• Veggies: You need raw potatoes to make this. But if you have boiled aloo and want to use up, you may use them. Adjust the amount of water as required. I also add some green peas to make my dish colourful, if you want you may also use carrots, green beans, peas and potatoes. For texture you can add a small sliced onion (about 1/4 cup).
• Fried Gram: It is used to thicken the sagu. Fried gram is chutney dal and is also known as roasted chana dal. We grind them to a fine powder and add to dish while cooking. But if you don’t want to grind, you can use besan. I have shared another aloo sagu in this Rava Idli post and that uses besan.
• Tempering ingredients: Curry leaves, ginger, green chilies, hing, cumin seeds and mustard seeds are used to temper the dish. Note that these are the heart of the dish and you need all these except for the hing.
• Lemon Juice: This dish tastes best with a mild tang. So use lemon juice before serving.

Photo Guide

Step by Step Photo Instructions

1. Peel and chop potatoes to small cubes. The smaller, the quicker the curry gets cooked. I chop them to almost half inch. Heat oil in a deep pan, add mustard, cumin and curry leaves. When the spices begin to crackle, add hing, ginger, slit green chilies, potatoes and peas. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Make sure you add enough green chilies since there is no red chili powder used. The heat comes only from green chilies.

If you want to a use onions, add them before the potatoes and saute for 4 to 5 mins.

2. Pour water to cover the potatoes and bring the water to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the potatoes are fork tender/ fully cooked.

3. While the potatoes cook, make a fine powder of the fried gram.

4. Add very little water to make a thick paste but of pouring consistency. Add salt and turmeric to the paste.

5. Once the potatoes are soft cooked, pour this mix and let it simmer till the gravy thickens. If your gravy becomes runny, you can mix some more fried gram powder with very little water and pour it to the gravy. When it is thick, yet of pouring consistency, tun off the heat. It will thicken further upon cooling. Taste test and adjust salt.

Add lemon juice and stir well. Garnish with coriander leaves if you want.

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