Sabudana vada is a delectable, crispy, popular Indian snack made with tapioca pearls (sago), potatoes, peanuts & a handful of spices. It is vegan, gluten free and can be consumed during Navratri or Shivratri fast.
Though sabudana tikki can be enjoyed all the year round but they are especially made during Navratri fasting at my home. Everyone loves them with zesty cilantro chutney or tamarind chutney accompanied by a hot cup of masala chai.
These are easy to make and can be deep fried, pan fried or made in air fryer. If you have boiled potatoes and soaked sabudana, these take barely 15-20 minutes of time.
Sago Vada Ingredients:
Sabudana: Also known as tapioca pearls or sago, it is especially consumed during vrat or fast in various sweet & savory recipes like sabudana khichdi (pilaf), mango sabudana kheer (pudding), paratha or namkeen.
To get the correct texture in vada, always use medium size sabudana. The trick is to soak them just enough so that they are soft but not mushy.
Potatoes: Mashed potatoes act as a binding agent for fritters and also makes them crunchy. It is better if you can use boiled potatoes which have cooled completely and kep in fridge for sometime.
Peanuts: These add a lovely nutty flavour and texture to the cutlets. Instead of peanuts, you can even use cashews and make vada without them also to keep the recipe nut-free.
Spices: These sago potato patties are lightly spiced with jeera (cumin), salt and red chilli powder. If you don’t consume red chilli during fasting, replace with black pepper or skip it.
Chillies & Cilantro: Green chillies add spiciness and cilantro adds lovely fresh aroma to sabudana tikki.
I have tried to explain the sabudana tikki recipe step by step with images (with video) in this post. If you follow the exact proportions and technique, then I am sure you will definitely nail it in first attempt.
Youtube Video:
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients: (18 pieces)
- Sabudana or Sago (medium size) – 1 cup
- Water – 1/2 cup
- Potatoes (boiled) – 4 medium
- Green Chillies (chopped) – 2
- Coriander (chopped) – 4 tbsp
- Roasted Peanuts (coarsely ground) – 3 tbsp (optional)
- Cumin Seeds (Jeera) – 1 tsp
- Rock Salt (Sendha Namak) – 1 tsp (to taste)
- Red Chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp (to taste)
- Oil / Ghee – For deep frying
(Note: You can make sabudana vada without peanuts also.)
Directions:
Step 1:
Add sabudana to a colander and rinse it once to remove any dust. Transfer it to a bowl & fill with water such that its level is slightly above sabudana.
Cover and let it soak for at least 2-3 hours. You can even do this step a night before and keep the covered bowl in fridge. Below is the image of how it will look after soaking.
Step 2:
Mash or grate the boiled potatoes. Add soaked sabudana to it along with peanuts, green chillies, cilantro, salt & spices. Mix well with hands. Taste and adjust salt or spices as per your liking.
(Tip: If the mixture is not binding, add 1/2 or 1 more boiled potato. If it feels too sticky, add some kuttu or amaranth flour to it.)
Step 3:
Grease you palms with a little bit of oil. Take a big spoonful of mash. Roll it into a smooth ball and then flatten it lightly with your palm. Repeat to shape rest of the vada (with this recipe, I got 18 pieces).
Step 4:
Heat oil in a pan or kadhai. The level should be sufficient to dip the vada compeletly. Carefully slide 4-5 vadas in it at a time depending on the size of pan. Do not overcrowd.
Step 5:
Fry them on medium-high heat (The oil should neither be too hot nor cool. We want to give sabudana enough time to cook and puff up). Turn them carefully and fry till they turn golden on all sides. Strain using a slotted spoon.
Step 6:
Transfer on a kitchen napkin or wire rack. Crunchy yummy sabudana tikki are ready. Serve them hot with tangy coriander chutney or tamarind chutney.
More Navratri special recipes :
Tips:
- If vadas are breaking while frying, it means the moisture is too high in them. Add 1-2 tbsp kuttu aata (buckwheat flour) or singhada atta (chestnut flour) for additional binding.
- The oil should be sufficiently hot when frying otherwise the sabudana vada can stick to the bottom of kadhai or pan. To check whether the oil is hot enough or not, drop a small piece of sabudana vada in it. If it rise to the top, it means oil is ready.
- Fry the ‘vadas’ on medium flame giving them enough time to cook. Too high temperature will cook them quickly from outside without cooking from inside.
- After transferring vada or tikki in hot oil, give it few seconds to cook. Once the sabudana is cooked, the vada will automatically come to the surface. Don’t be in a hurry to flip them.
Pin for later:
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(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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$#UB#@NG!
some photos on your blog can make me feel insanely hungry any hour of the day! They are so well presented and awesomely cooked!
Divya Jain
Thanks a lot. This encouragement keeps me going.
bharathi
Good presentation
Divya Jain
Thanks a lot Bharathi!! 🙂