Sabudana Vada Recipe
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 125kcal
Sabudana Vada often known as Sabudana Vadai, Sabudana Cutlet or Sabudana Tikki is a deep-fried Maharashtrian appetizer that makes for a very good evening snack or breakfast. Since it is made using gluten-free ingredients, it is perfect to serve for Indian Fast Days or Vrat. Here is how to make these at home.
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Ingredients
- ½ cup sabudana medium sized pearls
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup mashed boiled potato
- salt to taste use sendha namak if making for fasting
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
- 2 teaspoon chopped green chili
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts skin removed and crushed
Instructions
- Wash ½ cup of medium-sized Sabudana very nicely 2-3 times with water.
- Soak the washed Sabudana for 6-8 hours in ½ cup of water. Keep the soaked sabudana on the kitchen counter while soaking.
- Measure the sabudana and water correctly. It is very important to soak the sabudana in the right amount of water for the vada to turn out perfect. If the water is more, they will turn out soggy and if it is less, they will turn out dry and chewy.
- Add the soaked sabudana, ½ cup boiled and mashed potatoes, salt to taste, 2 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander, 2 teaspoon chopped green chili, and ¼ cup roasted and crushed peanuts in a bowl.
- Boil the potatoes and cool them well before using them in the recipe. Mash the boiled potatoes well. There should be no lumps. You can also grate the boiled potatoes using the medium hole of a box grater. Adjust the amount of green chili according to your taste. Crush the roasted peanuts in a mortar and pestle to make a coarse powder.
- Mix everything nicely using your hands.
- Make small smooth balls from the dough and flatten them a little bit. Apply little oil on your palms while shaping the vada if the mixture is sticky.
- Heat vegetable oil for frying the vada in a nonstick pan. I use vegetable oil to fry but you can use any oil that you prefer. Once the oil is hot, simmer the heat to medium. Drop 4-6 vada in the hot oil and fry until golden brown from both sides.
- Do not fry all the vada together otherwise they will not turn out crispy. Turn the vada while frying using a slotted spoon or a large fork.
- Drain the golden brown and crunchy vada on a plate lined with kitchen tissue. Sabudana Vada is ready to serve.
Notes
Wash the Sabudana well. While washing, keep mashing it with your hands to remove the extra starch.
The quantity of water for soaking the Sabudana is also very important. It should just cover the Sabudana. It should not be more than that or less than that. I always stick to the ratio of 1:1 for Sabudana and water.
Soaking the Sabudana to the right consistency is also very important. If they are not soaked properly, sabudana vada can burst while frying. Properly soaked Sabudana can be mashed easily between two fingers. They also double up in size. If there is even slight hardness in the center of the Sabudana after soaking, it means that they are not soaked properly and you should soak for another hour.
Once the Sabudan is soaked, drain all the water. The best way is to drain it in a colander. If there is extra water remaining in the Sabudana, the vadas will become soggy. If you use the correct measurement, there won't be any water remaining.
Crush the peanuts in a mortar and pestle. They should not be crushed too fine. Remove the pink skin of the peanuts after roasting or use skinless peanuts.
While mixing the ingredients to make sabudana vada, mash them well to avoid breaking of the vadas while frying. If the mixture is very dry, add a tablespoon or two of water.
Test the dough by frying one vada first. Drop one vada in the hot oil and fry on medium heat until browned well from one side. Do not disturb the vada until it is nicely browned and crisp from one side otherwise it may disintegrate in the oil. Once it is browned well from one side, flip it and fry until browned from another side as well. Once you are able to fry one vada successfully, then fry the remaining vadas in a batch of 4-5.
If the vada is breaking in oil, then add a little flour to the dough and then fry the vadas. If you are making these for the fast, then add kuttu ka atta or chestnut flour and if making them for regular eating, then you can add all-purpose flour or rice flour. You can also add some extra potatoes if the vadas are breaking.
However, after making these many many times, I have realized that if the ingredient's measurements and steps are followed properly, the vadas generally don't break while frying.
Nutrition
Calories: 125kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 2g | Sodium: 52mg | Potassium: 439mg | Fiber: 4g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Vitamin C: 13.4mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 3.5mg