Sabudana vada recipe | How to make sabudana vada

Sabudana vada recipe with video & step by step photos. – Sabudana vada are crisp fried snack made with tapioca pearls, peanuts, potatoes and herbs. It is a popular Maharashtraian snack that is eaten not only as a tea time snack but also as a fasting or Upvas/ Vrat food. Sabudana khichdi and sabudana kheer are other foods made during Navratri & Ekadashi fastings.

These sabudana vada turn out delicious, crisp yet have a soft texture inside.

To make good sabudana vada, always soak the sabudana well until they turn soft. You can roast the peanuts ahead, crush them and store in a jar.

This saves some time on the day you prepare these vadas. Make sure your boiled potatoes are just cooked and not mushy otherwise sabudana vada will soak up lot of oil.

These are best served hot with chatni or some hot tea.

Tips for sabudana vada

1.Soaking sabudana : There are different kinds of sabudana available in the market, some soak up well in just 2 hours while some need 5 to 8 hours of soaking time. Adjust the soaking time as needed until the sabudana turns soft, without any hardness inside.

2.Checking sabudana: After the soaking time, press few sabudana pearls in between your thumb and forefinger. They must get mashed easily. Sabudana if not soaked well can burst in oil. So make sure they are soaked well and not hard from inside.

3.Potatoes : Boiled potatoes help in binding the mixture. So boil them with care without making mushy or soggy. Soggy potatoes often break up the sabudana vada while frying due to excess moisture.

4. Peanuts : Crushed peanuts help in absorbing the excess moisture if any. So I prefer to powder it. However you can just crush them coarsely in a mortar pestle if you prefer crunchy peanuts in the sabudana vada.

How to prevent them from breaking

1. Using flour : Earlier I had never used flour to make my sabudana vada. It is only a optional ingredient. But lately I have made them many times with flour and felt they are less greasy and more crisp with little flour added.

If your vadas break then you can fix it by adding 1 to 2 tbsps of flour to absorb excess moisture. If making the vadas on fasting days, then you can add some kuttu ka atta or rajgira flour.

3.Temperature of oil : Sabudana vada can break while frying if the oil is not hot enough. Always check if the oil is moderately hot enough to fry. Also fry on a medium high flame. Frying them on a very high flame will brown them too quickly. Frying on a low flame will make them oily.

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Sabudana vada recipe

Sabudana vada

Sabudana vada are a deep fried snack made with tapioca pearls, peanuts and potatoes. These are usually made during religious Hindu fastings. Serve them for a evening snack with green chutney.

Prep Time2 hours

Cook Time20 minutes

Total Time2 hours 20 minutes

Servings12 vada

AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )

• ½ cup sabudana (tapioca pearls or sagu)
• 1 cup potatoes (heaped cup) cubed or 2 medium sized
• ¼ cup peanuts
• 1 tbsp coriander leaves chopped
• ½ tsp cumin or jeera
• 1 to 2 green chilies chopped
• rock salt powdered as needed
• 1½ tsps lemon juice (optional)
• 1½ to 2 tbsp flour (optional) kuttu ka atta if fasting

How to make the recipe

Soaking sabudana

• Add sabudana to a bowl. You can optionally rinse them well twice.
• Then pour ½ cup water and soak sabudana for 4 to 6 hours depending on the kind. You can also soak overnight.
• Some need only 2 hours of soaking while some need at least 5 hours.
• Once they are soaked, take few pearls in between your thumb and forefinger.
• Press down to check if they have softened. The pearls must get mashed well.
• Make sure they are soaked well & softened otherwise unsoaked sabudana may burst in oil.
• You can also bite and check. It should not be hard from inside.
• If you feel they are hard, soak them for a little longer.
• Drain them completely to a colander and set aside.

Other preparation

• Meanwhile roast peanuts until golden and aromatic.
• Cool completely.
• Pulse them in a blender only once to get coarsely crushed peanuts. Keep aside.
• Wash and peel potatoes. Boil them just until done and not too mushy or soggy.
• Mash them. If the potatoes are mushy then the vadas may break. So cook them just al dente.
• Mix together sabudana, mashed potato, peanuts, green chili, salt, cumin and coriander leaves. Add lemon juice (optional) and mix well.
• If the dough turns sticky, then just grease your finger lightly.
• Mixing well helps in binding the dough well and prevents the sabudana vada from breaking while frying.

How to make sabudana vada

• Make 10 to 12 balls and then slightly flatten to make the patties or vada.
• Do not make them too thin as they may break. Making then too thick will not cook them from inside.
• Heat oil in a kadai until hot enough. 
• Drop a small portion of the dough to check if the oil is hot enough.
• The dough has to rise without browning quickly.
• Next take 1 tsp of the mixture in your hand and roll it to a small vada.
• Slide it in the hot oil to check if it doesn't disintegrate.
• If the ball breaks, then add the flour to the  mixture and mix it well.
• Then shape them to vadas. 
• Slide the sabudana vada in hot oil one after the other.
• On a medium high flame deep fry until golden flipping to and fro as needed.
• The vadas will puff well and turn golden & crisp on the outside.
• Drain them to a kitchen tissue or colander.  Serve sabudana vada with green chutney.

Video

NUTRITION (estimation only)

Calories: 55kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 64mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 3.5mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg

Notes

Notes: Unsoaked sabudana can be hazardous. They can burst in oil if not soaked well. Please ensure they are well soaked before you make the vada.

Flour: Using flour is optional but

• I have felt adding atleast 2 tbsps of flour makes the sabudana vada more crisp and less greasy.
• If you are fasting, then use kuttu ka atta or buckwheat flour. If not fasting then you can use rice flour or corn starch.

If you are a beginner or new to Indian cooking, I highly suggest you to check the supporting step by step photos for best results. Step by step photos with description available below after the recipe card.

Preparation

1. Wash and soak half cup sabudana in half cup water for about 4 to 6 hours. When they are soaked they will be soft and get mashed easily.

2. Drain up the water completely. They double in size after soaking. Make sure they are soaked well and turned soft else sabudana may burst in oil while frying the vadas.

To check if sabudana is well soaked, take few soaked pearls in between your thumb and forefinger. Press down. They must get mashed well and completely. If it is even little bit hard in the center, then sabudana may burst in oil while frying.

Drain to a colander and set aside.

3. Dry roast 1/4 cup peanuts until golden.

4. Cool them completely and make a coarse powder. I removed the skin partially. Just pulse them once in a blender. We want a coarse powder.

5. Peel the skin and cube 2 medium sized potatoes. They must come up to at least 1 heaped cup. Boil them. Do not make them mushy. Drain any excess water or evaporate.

6. Mash them.

7. To the bowl of sabudana, add ground peanuts, mashed potato, jeera, chopped green chilies, chopped coriander leaves, lemon juice(optional) and powdered rock salt.

8. Mix everything well. If sticky, then just grease your finger lightly. Mixing well helps in binding the dough well and prevents the sabudana vada from breaking while frying.

How to make sabudana vada recipe

9. Make 10 to 12 equal sized balls from the dough.

10. Grease your palm and flatten the balls gently to give the shape of a vada. If they break towards the edges, you can just stick them back. Place them in a plate or foil.

Do not make them too thick or too thin. The vadas will puff up after frying. Very thick vadas will not get cooked inside and very thin vadas may break.

11. Heat oil in a pan until oil turns hot enough. Check by dropping a small portion of the dough to the hot oil. The dough must rise and not sink. This is the right temperature.

Next, take 1 tsp of the dough and shape to a small vada or ball and drop in the hot oil. If the vada doesn’t break then you can go ahead and fry all the vadas.

If the ball disintegrates in the oil, then add the flour to the mixture and mix well. shape to vadas. This step is optional only to ensure the vadas don’t get disintegrated in oil.
Deep fry them on a medium heat.

12. Fry until golden on both the sides.

Serve sabudana vada with green chutney or farali chutney.