Sabudana Vada

Sabudana Vada is a very popular snack of Maharashtra especially made during fasting days. It is basically a deep fried dish made using sabudana or sago pearls and boiled potatoes. It has a crisp exterior and a soft interior. The sabudana looks like white pearls after frying and this snack looks as appealing and beautiful as it tastes. I have tried to make this a bit healthier

by shallow frying it in the “appe” pan using very less oil and another batch by simply baking in a preheated oven for around 25-30 minutes. This is normally enjoyed with a very simple curd-peanut dip.

Ingredients:

• Sabudana/sago/tapioca pearls 1 cup
• Salt to taste
• Potatoes 2 big
• Green chilies 3-4
• Curry leaves 2-3 sprigs
• Coriander leaves 2-3 sprigs
• Ginger 1 inch piece (optional)
• Crushed peanuts 2 tbsp
• Cumin seeds 1/4 tsp
• Red chili powder 1/2 tsp (optional)

Method:

• Soak the sabudana in water for atleast half an hour. Drain excess water and keep it for 2-3 hours. Sprinkle more water if it appears too dry. Make sure that each sabudana pearl is soft till inside.

• Boil the potatoes, peel the skin and mash it finely.

• Chop the green chilies, curry leaves, coriander leaves and ginger finely.

• Take the mashed potatoes in a big mixing bowl and add the chopped veggies and sabudana.
• Add salt, crushed peanuts and red chili powder. Squeeze the sabudana well so that there is no water particle in the sabudana pearls which can burst while frying.

• Shape small lemon size ball from the mixture and flatten them a bit in your palm.

• Ideally deep fry them in hot oil till both sides are golden.
• Or alternatively heat an “appe” pan and brush all the cavities with little oil.

• Now place these balls and cover and cook for 3-4 minutes on low flame. Now flip these balls and again cover and cook till it is golden in colour.
• Serve it hot with curd-peanut dip.
• I baked some of these vadas. For that preheat the oven at 180-200 degree Celsius for atleast 10 minutes.
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Arranged these flattened vadas on the tray and brush the top n bottom with little oil.

• Bake these for 20 minutes and then flip the sides and bake again for 15-18 minutes or till both sides are golden.

• Serve hot.

Notes:

• Though these vadas taste the best after deep frying them in hot oil, but at times it can burst and cause some burns or at times it breaks and the inner gooey mass oozes out. This can be prevented by ensuring that they soaked sabudana is dry but at the same time it is soft. Also squeeze them while mixing with the boiled potatoes.
• You can shallow fry them in a non stick pan or grill pan if you do not have the “appe” pan and these shallow fried ones do taste quite good.
• The baked ones are ok I would say, it becomes a bit hard and the sabudana feels a bit chewy. Buy nevertheless it tastes good with a nice dip or chutney.