Sabudana Vada Recipe (Deep Fry, Air Fryer and Appe Pan)
Sabudana Vada's are crispy and crunchy Sago Fritters made with soaked sago (tapioca pearls), boiled potatoes, coarsely ground peanuts and few other ingredients.
Servings 3
Calories 55kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cup sabudana (sago or tapioca pearls)
- 2 medium potatoes boiled & mashed, (about 1 cup)
- ¼ cup roasted & coarsely crushed peanuts
- 2 green chilies finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated, optional
- ½ teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
- 1-2 tablespoons corn starch (or rice flour or kuttu ka atta if fasting), optional
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves finely chopped
- salt to taste
- oil for frying
Instructions
Preparation:
- Rinse the sabudana 1-2 times and drain all the water. Next, soak the sabudana in 2 cups of water for 2-4 hours (time may vary based on the quality of sabudana. I soaked mine for 2 hrs). Some need only 2 hours while other need 4-6 hours.They will double in size after soaking, and you can easily mash them between your fingers. Also, make sure they are soaked well else unsoaked sabudana may burst in oil.
- Dry roast peanuts in a pan on medium heat till they get brown spots, and let them cool. You can also roast the peanuts in the air fryer or use store-bought roasted peanuts.
- Grind into a coarse powder.
- If using a stovetop pressure cooker, pressure cook the potatoes in water for 2 to 3 whistles. I used an Instant Pot Pressure cooker to boil the potatoes. Pressure cook for 4-5 minutes on Manual / Pressure cook mode and allow natural pressure release.After the pressure has released naturally, drain water, peel the potato skin, mash it well and keep aside.
- Take soaked sabudana, mashed potatoes, peanut powder, chilies, ginger, cumin seeds, corn starch, lemon juice, coriander leaves, and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Mix everything well. Also, make sure the dough should be stiff and not soft or sticky. If it is smooth, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of cornflour on regular days or kuttu ka atta if fasting.
- Divide the dough into equal size of balls (around 8-10). Grease your palms with little oil and make flat vadas like a patty. Keep aside.
Traditional Deep Frying:
- Heat the oil in a pan on medium-high heat for deep frying. Add the vadas into the oil very carefully.Fry them on medium heat from both sides till they turn golden brown. Drain on a paper towel.
- Serve steaming hot vadas with green coriander chutney or tomato ketchup.
Using Air Fryer:
- I have used Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer for this method. However, you can use an air fryer which is available.
- Preheat your air fryer to 395°F (200°C).
- Spray or brush the air fryer basket with some oil, so the vada doesn’t stick. Now place the vadas into a single layer. Brush some oil on top of the vadas.
- Air fry at 395°F (200°C) for 15-18 minutes or until the vadas start browning and turn crispy. Flip the vadas, halfway through and spray some oil on the top.
- Once vadas are crispy and golden brown, take them onto the plate and serve air fryer sabudana vada hot with ketchup or green chutney.They should be eaten right away, or else they can turn chewy.
Using Appe Pan:
- Heat the appe / paniyaram / aebleskiver pan on medium low heat. Add a few drops of oil to each round section.Next, place the lemon-sized balls in each section and cook for 2-3 mins over medium-low flame.
- Turn over each ball, drizzle a few more drops of oil. Cover and cook again for another 3-4 minutes until they turn crisp and golden brown
- Serve these vadas hot with green chutney or ketchup.
Notes
Tips to Make the Best Sabudana Wada
- Know your Sabudana: Soaking time mainly depends on the quality of the sabudana (tapioca pearls), it can vary from 2-4 hours to a few more hours.
- Soak Sabudana well: Perfectly soaked sabudana will double in size, be fluffy, and can be easily mashed between the fingers. If it is not soaked correctly, it can burst in oil and make the vadas hard and chewy.
- Drain Sabudana well: Ensure to drain the water from the soaked sabudana completely using a fine mesh sieve or colander. Otherwise, moisture in the sabudana can make the vadas soggy.
- Add flour: I like to add 1-2 tablespoons of corn flour (or rice flour) to the vada mixture. This helps to bind the mixture, absorb moisture and make the vada crispier. During fasting, add vrat atta like kuttu (buckwheat flour) or rajgira (amaranth flour).
- Oil Temperature: Make sure to deep fry the vada on medium-high heat. Frying on high heat will quickly brown the vada from the outside and make it undercooked inside. Frying at low temperatures will break or make the vadas oily.
- Baking in an Oven: You can bake sabudana vadas by preheating the oven and baking at 360°F (180°C) for 25-30 minutes.
Variations
- With Onions: On regular days, you can also add finely chopped onions while mixing vada. They taste delicious.
- With Sweet Potatoes: You can swap potatoes with sweet potatoes. However, it will result in a sweeter-tasting sabudana wada.
- Spices: You may also use red chili powder to make it extra spicy, when you are not fasting.
Nutrition
Calories: 55kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 64mg | Potassium: 101mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 3.2mg | Calcium: 3.5mg | Iron: 1mg