Several of Siddhi’s recipes start with a soak: rice and dal for khichdi, sabudana for vada, dry fruits for a milkshake, and saffron for sweets. This guide gathers the soaking times from her recipe cards in one place.
Every recipe linked in this guide is cooked in Siddhi’s own kitchen before it goes live.
The short answer
Soaking times from Siddhi’s recipes:
- Sabudana: 4 to 5 hours in water.
- Rice and dal for khichdi: 15 to 30 minutes in water.
- Dry fruits for a milkshake: an hour in hot water.
- Saffron: in a little milk or water, 15 to 20 minutes for rava kesari.
Soaking times at a glance
| What | Soak in | How long | Recipe |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup sabudana | Water | 4 to 5 hours | Stuffed Sabudana Vada |
| Rice and green moong dal | Water, after rinsing | Half an hour | Gujarati Khichdi |
| ½ cup rice and ¼ cup yellow split gram | Water, after washing | 15 to 20 minutes | Palak Khichdi |
| Cashews, pistachios, raisins and almonds (¼ cup each) | Hot water | An hour | Dry Fruit Milkshake |
| 3 pinches saffron | The milk for the recipe | 15 to 20 minutes | Rava Kesari |
Rice and dal
- For Gujarati Khichdi, Siddhi mixes the rice and green moong dal, rinses them thoroughly and soaks them in water for half an hour.
- For Palak Khichdi, she washes the rice and yellow split gram and soaks them for 15 to 20 minutes, then drains them before cooking.
- Her Moong Dal Tadka Khichdi, Thandai Rice Kheer and Mexican Rice also use soaked rice, but those recipe cards do not give a soaking time.
Our guide on cooking dal and khichdi in a pressure cooker takes it from there.
Sabudana
For Stuffed Sabudana Vada, Siddhi soaks 1 cup sabudana (tapioca pearls) in water for 4 to 5 hours, then drains it and adds it to the mashed potatoes.
Dry fruits
For Dry Fruit Milkshake, Siddhi soaks ¼ cup each of cashews, pistachios, raisins and almonds in hot water for an hour. She also soaks 2 figs in hot water. For Makai Halwa, she uses 8 to 10 almonds, soaked, peeled and sliced; that card does not give a soaking time.
Saffron
In these recipes, Siddhi soaks the saffron in a small amount of liquid before it goes in:
- Rava Kesari: 3 pinches, soaked in the milk for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Pineapple Modak: a pinch, soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk.
- Milk Powder Ladoo: 6 to 7 strands, soaked in the warm milk, added together.
- Makai Halwa: soaked in 1 tbsp milk.
- Mango Shrikhand: soaked in 1 tsp water.
Our guide to saffron and cardamom in Indian sweets covers the rest.
FAQs
How long should sabudana soak?
For her Stuffed Sabudana Vada, Siddhi soaks 1 cup sabudana in water for 4 to 5 hours.
How long should rice and dal soak for khichdi?
For her Gujarati Khichdi, Siddhi rinses the rice and green moong dal and soaks them for half an hour. For her Palak Khichdi, she soaks the rice and yellow split gram for 15 to 20 minutes.
How long should dry fruits soak for a milkshake?
For her Dry Fruit Milkshake, Siddhi soaks the cashews, pistachios, raisins and almonds in hot water for an hour.
How do I soak saffron?
In several sweets, Siddhi soaks saffron in a little milk or water before adding it: in the milk for 15 to 20 minutes for her Rava Kesari, in 2 tbsp warm milk for her Pineapple Modak, and in 1 tsp water for her Mango Shrikhand.
More cooking guides
- How to Make the Perfect Tadka
- How to Cook Dal and Khichdi in a Pressure Cooker
- How to Thicken Milk for Kheer and Kulfi
- Cooking With Jaggery: Chikki, Ladoo and Sukhdi
- How to Fry Pakoda, Vada and Cutlets
- Rice for Pulao, Fried Rice and Flavoured Rice
- The Spices in Siddhi’s Kitchen
- Indian Kitchen Measures: Cup, Spoon, Katori and Grams
- How to Make Hung Curd at Home
- Kitchen Fixes: Too Salty, Too Watery, Too Thick
- How to Bind, Shape and Coat Cutlets and Kebabs
- Raw Mango vs Ripe Mango: How Siddhi Uses Each
- How to Knead and Shape Dough for Gujiya, Spring Rolls and Gatta
- Saffron and Cardamom in Indian Sweets and Drinks