Sabudana vada is a crispy and fluffy fritter made with tapioca pearls or sabudana. This is a popular snack item on Indian fasting days and festivals. These are vegan and gluten-free.
Sabudana or sago is known as tapioca or tapioca pearls in English. This is a starch extracted from the cassava plant. It's a staple food for tropical regions. This is a pure source of carbohydrates and gives an energy boost. Tapioca pearl is a popular food across the globe. This is gluten-free and makes a great alternative to gluten-free flour and a replacement for regular wheat flour.
This is a fasting dish in India. Sabudana or tapioca pearls are rich in starch and hence good for kids and toddlers for weight gain. Read my sabudana kheer recipe, which is another good food for toddlers.
Sabudana for Indian Fasting Recipe
India is a place of spiritual significance, and hence, there are different cultures and customs. Fasting is a sign of devotion and faith in God and the rituals. Many people observe fasting on different days of the week.
Apart from these weekdays, we observe many other fasting days in India, such as Navratri, Shivratri, Janmashtami, Sankashti, etc.
There are many such days when people refrain from eating food other than satvik food (no grains, no onion, no garlic). Very few foods are allowed. Sabudana is one of those foods. This is heavy and keeps you full for longer.
How to make sabudana vada?
Sabudana vada is easy to make and takes only a few minutes to make. It requires very few ingredients and makes yummy, crispy yet soft vadas.
Step I - Preparation:
1. Soak Tapioca pearl or sabudana: Soak Sabudana for 4 - 6 hrs minimum or overnight. Then transfer to a colander to drain out any excess water. Let it air dry for 15 - 20 minutes to reduce the excess moisture.
2. Boil Potatoes: Boil potatoes and cool it completely. Otherwise, the hot potatoes will make the mixture sticky, which may not bind properly with sabudana and will break while frying.
3. Roasted Peanuts: Dry roast peanuts, stirring continuously. Once roasted and fragrant, remove from pan and transfer to a dry plate. Let it cool for 15 minutes. Then coarsely grind using a mortar and pestle, rolling pin and board, or mixer grinder.
Step II - Assemble and Shape
1. Assemble: Take a large bowl. Add boiled and mashed potatoes. Add all other ingredients. Mix all ingredients properly, making a dough-like structure. Then, take a lemon-sized roundel and try to shape it like a disc with greased palms.
The discs are a little thicker in the center as we press the roundel lightly with the palms. This way, they will stick properly and not break. You can also make small round balls. Make sure they have no cracks and do not break while shaping.
2. Deep Fry: Heat oil. Then, drop the sabudana vada one by one. Make a batch of 5 - 6 vada, depending on the size of the vada or fritters. Don't overcrowd the pan or kadhai.
Tips for making perfect sabudana vada:
- Soak sabudana for 6 hours and then remove all water. It swells up to double in size.
- Transfer to a colander and air dry for 10 - 15 minutes. Otherwise, it may not bind well and break inside the oil while frying.
- Don't add more potatoes. Take proportionally.
- Use only rock salt if making for fasting days.
- Remove the ingredients you don't eat during fasting (e.g., green chili, coriander leaves, cumin seeds, etc.).
- Crushed roasted peanuts can be used, but they are not compulsory. If you are allergic to nuts, skip peanuts.
- If you want to pan-fry, flatten the roundels evenly to a disc. However, this vada tastes great when deep-fried.
- You can also bake the sabudana vada in the air fryer.
Similar Recipes:
Also, read other similar posts: sabudana khichdi, sabudana kheer/ pudding, kuttu patties, kuttu pakora/chips, aloo jeera, samvat khichdi, lauki halwa, apple halwa, sweet raita. Or read my fasting day recipe collection on the blog.
Recipe Card for Sabudana Vada
Sabudana Vada For Fasting
Equipment
- 2 pans/ kadhai
- 1 Spatula
- 1 large Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 3 cups Sabudana Soaked or 1 cup raw sabudana
- 2 large Potatoes
- 2 Green Chilli
- ยผ cup Coriander leaves finely chopped
- 1 tsp Rock Salt
- 1 cup Refined Oil to deep-fry
Instructions
- Wash and soak sabudana for 5 - 6 hrs. Drain out water and air dry on a clean plate. Dry for 30 minutes to 1 hr.
- Boil potatoes for 5 whistles or till completely boiled. For better results boil them well in advance and cool before adding to other ingredients. It will help in binding properly.
- Once cold, mash the potatoes completely and keep aside.
- In a mixing bowl mix all ingredients and mix them well. Divide into equal size balls.
- Give them shape of patties by pressing lightly with palms. Press the edges also.
- Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Put the vada into hot oil one by one without overcrowding.
- And deep fry till both ends are crisp and light brown in color.
- Serve them with curd or tea as snacks.
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