Sabudana Vada (Crispy)
Sabudana vada (sabu vada or sago vada) is a vegan and gluten-free Indian snack recipe that is crispy and crunchy. It is served with spicy cilantro chutney and a hot cup of chai. This Maharashtrian snack is traditionally deep-fried, but these days, for health reasons, it is also air-fried, baked, or prepared in an appe pan. Check out sabudana vada in appe pan. Like sabudana khichdi and sabudana kheer, sabudana vada is mainly prepared during fasting, upvas, and vrat days like Navratri, Ekadashi, Shivratri, sai guruvar, etc. Sabudana vadas are made with sago, potatoes, and a few spices. You can add any spices of your choice. Check out more sabudana recipes, Navratri vrat recipes for 9 days, and simple Indian vrat and fasting recipes.
Ingredients
Sabudana: Available as sago, tapioca pearls, sabakki, javvarisi, saggubiyyam in any Indian or asian stores. Potato: Boiled and mashed or raw potatoes grated act as a binding agent Peanuts or cashew nuts roasted and crushed. Seasoning: salt, green chilies, ginger, cumin seeds, and cilantro for flavor. Check out the recipe card for the full list of the ingredients.
Step-by-step instructions
Sabudana vada mixture
Wash the sabudana in water 2 to 3 times until the water runs clear. This is done to remove the excess starch. Soak sabudana or tapioca pearls in 1 cup water for 4 to 5 hours or overnight. When done, take a few pearls between your thumb and forefingers. Press them to see if they are softened and easily mashed. Unsoaked sabudana will burst in oil. If it’s still hard, soak them for some more time. Drain sabudana completely to remove any excess water. Add the soaked sabudana to a bowl. Add the potato, peanut, ginger, green chilies, cumin seeds, coriander leaves, salt to taste, and lemon juice, and mix well. Add flour if needed and mix well. This will help bind and prevent the vada from breaking while frying.
Deep fry crispy sabudana vada
Heat oil for frying. See that atleast 40 % of the pan is covered with oil. Make small balls from the mixture and flatten them to form vada or patties. Keep it aside. Once the oil is hot, add the vadas; do not overcrowd the pan. Fry these flattened vadas or patties on medium flame until they become crispy and golden brown on both sides. Do not disturb them as soon as you drop them in oil, as they may break. Once they firm up and become golden in color, flip and cook on the other side. The vadas will puff like the one shown in the picture, be crispy on the outside, and chewy inside. Transfer it to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil. Repeat the process for the remaining mixture. Serve hot with Aloo rasedar, mint chutney, or ketchup, and enjoy!
Pro Tips
Sabudana should be soaked correctly in water. Do a smash test to know if your sabudana is ready for cooking. Press one or two soaked sabudana between your finger and thumb. It should smash easily. To avoid soggy sabudana vada, completely drain water from the soaked sabudana. Vary the amount of spices as per your taste. Oil should not be too hot or cold. If it’s hot, the vada will soon become dark; if it’s cold, it will absorb excess oil. In both cases, your vadas will become soggy and may break. The best practice is to fry by switching the flame between medium and medium-high. To check if the oil is hot, add a drop of mixture and see if it sizzles and rises. Flour is added mainly to make your vadas crispier. If you prepare this on Navratri or a fasting day, substitute rice flour with corn or buckwheat flour. To avoid sabudana from breaking in oil, drop a small piece of dough in hot oil to see if it separates and breaks once the dough is ready. If it does, add flour, around 1 to 2 tbsp, to the mixture, make vadas, and fry. Do not overcrowd the pan while frying sabudana vadas. Check out our recipe of same sabudana vada made in paniyaram pan.
Sabudana vada with raw potatoes: If using boiled potatoes, make sure they’re not soggy. Mushy potatoes will break when frying. Feel free to use raw potatoes, too. Peel the skin of the potatoes and grate them. Squeeze to remove any moisture from the potato and transfer it to a bowl. Then, follow the same steps.
Sabudana vada in air fryer
Preheat the air fryer to 180 degrees C or 350 degrees F. Place parchment paper or lightly grease aluminum foil in a basket or tray or grease mesh. Place the vadas a few inches apart on a single layer and brush the top of it with some oil. Air fry for 10 minutes. Remove the vadas, flip them, apply oil, and air fry again for another 10 to 15 minutes or until crisp and golden brown.
Sabudana vada in oven
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the fries on greased parchment paper and bake them for 25 to 35 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown. Brush the baked sabudana vada with oil if desired, flipping it halfway through.
Serving suggestions
Sabudana vada, like any Indian snack, can be served with spicy cilantro-mint chutney, tamarind chutney, coconut chutney, garlic chutney, ketchup, and a cup of chai. Serve it with aloo rasedar (a recipe without onion and garlic). This is a perfect combo for Navratri fasting or any vrat day.
Storage
You can soak the sabudana in advance and, drain and keep it in the refrigerator. Sabudana vada mixture can be made in advance and used for up to 2 days. Sabudana vadas taste best when served fresh, hot, and crispy. Leftovers can be reheated in an air fryer, and they will become crispy.
More sabudana recipes
Recipe card
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