Recipe for Sabudana Vada
Sabudana, also known as Sago or Tapioca Pearls, is made from the roots of the cassava/tapioca plant. In India, many recipes are made from Sabudana, including Sabudana Kheer ( a dessert made with sago and milk), Sabudana Vada ( fritters made with sago and potatoes), Sabudana Khichdi ( a popular breakfast recipe), Sabudana Papad (crisps made with sago and potatoes) and Sabudana Thalipeeth (pancakes made with sago and potatoes).
Since Sago comes from the root of a plant( and hence is not a grain or cereal), it is commonly eaten during fasting days. It is high in carbohydrates and keeps you energetic and full for a long time.
Today, I am sharing a recipe for Sabudana Vada. Sabudana Vadas are fritters made with Sago and potatoes as the main ingredients. Additionally, some spices are added. These Vadas are usually served with Mint & Coriander chutney (made with mint and coriander) or a Koshimbir ( a yoghurt-based dip). They are pretty popular in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. They are commonly eaten at home as a tea-time snack ( read my tips below if you plan to make it for your guests) and are also available as street-side food.
So, let’s start with this quick and easy Sabudana Vada recipe. I shall also share the recipe for Mint Chutney and Koshimbir that go well with these Vadas. Therefore, I am breaking the recipe into three parts:
- Part 1: Recipe for Sabudana Vada
- Part 2: Recipe for Mint Chutney
- Part 3: Recipe for Koshimbir
Kitchen Equipment Needed:
- Mixing Bowl for soaking sago and combining all the vada ingredients.
- Pressure cooker to boil potatoes.
- Pan for deep frying the vadas
- Knives and Cutting Board
- Mixer grinder for making chutney
PART 1: Recipe for Sabudana Vada
Ingredients needed for making Sabudana Vadas ( about 40):
- Sago: 3 cups
- Potatoes: 7-8 medium-sized, boiled and peeled.
- Salt: 1.5 tablespoons
- Sugar: 1 teaspoon
- Cumin Powder: 1 tablespoon
- Curry leaves: 18-20
- Fresh Coriander leaves: Chopped, 4-5 tablespoons
- Roasted Peanut powder: 1 cup
- Roasted Sesame Powder: 1/2 cup
- Green Chillies: 4-5, finely chopped
- Oil: For deep frying
Method for making Sabudana Vada:
- Soak Sabudana overnight in just enough water so that all the pearls are immersed in it. Excess water will make it sticky, and less water will make it dry and hard.
Here are the pictures of Soaked Sago and Sago after being soaked overnight.
- The following day, combine the soaked sago with mashed boiled potatoes, salt, sugar, cumin powder, curry leaves, roasted peanut powder, roasted sesame powder and green chillies. Mix well.
- Now take small positions of this mixture and shape them by rounding and flattening each vada. Tip: If you wet your hands with water, it will become easy to bind them.
- Heat oil in a frying pan. On medium heat, fry the vadas.
- Flip them only after a couple of minutes OR when you see that the bottom side of the vada has browned a bit.
- Fry the vadas until they are golden brown. Then, remove them and place them on tissue paper to soak up the excess oil.
- Serve with Mint Chutney or Koshimbir.
Part 2: Recipe for Mint Coriander Chutney
Ingredients need for Mint Coriander Chutney:
- Fresh mint leaves: About 20 stems
- Fresh Coriander leaves: About 20 stems
- Salt: 1/2 teaspoon
- Sugar: 1 tablespoon
- Lemon Juice: From 1 lemon
- Black Salt: 1/2 teaspoon
- Water: 1/2 cup; Add more if it is too thick
Method for making Mint Coriander Chutney:
- Combine all the ingredients and Grind everything together.
- Add water to loosen it a bit.
- Transfer to a clean and dry jar and keep in the fridge till further use.
PART 3: Recipe for Koshimbir
Ingredients needed for making Koshimbir:
- Yoghurt:500 gm
- Cucumber: 1, grated
- Salt: 1 teaspoon
- Sugar: 1 teaspoon
- Fresh coriander leaves( optional): 2 tablespoons
Method for making Koshimbir:
- Beat the yoghurt and all the rest of the ingredients to it.
- Mix well.
Some additional notes about the recipe and ingredient sourcing in Germany:
- Sago can be sourced from any Indian store.
- Sabudana pearls usually come in three sizes: very fine, medium, and big. Medium-sized pearls work best for this recipe.
- Sago soakage is a very important step in this recipe. The amount of water has to be just right. If you add excess water, the sago will absorb a lot of oil during frying and become sticky. If you add less water, the pearls won’t become soft. Instead, they will be dry, chewy, and hard.
- Peanut and sesame powder can be easily made at home by dry roasting the seeds on low to medium heat and then coarse-grinding them when cooled. If you find this tedious, you can buy pre-roasted peanuts and sesame seeds and grind them coarsely at home.
- Sabudana vada is a great tea-time snack, especially when you have guests and want to make something that is easy and doesn’t engage you much in the kitchen when the guests arrive. If you plan to serve these to your guests, you can go up to step 3 of the Sabudana Vada recipe. Keep the shaped vadas in the fridge (uncovered). When the guests arrive, you only need to fry the vadas.
Check out other recipes from my kitchen here.
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