Sabudana Vada is a deep fried snack made with white tapioca pearls or sabudana and mashed potato mixture, seasoned with spices, nuts, green chilli and fresh coriander leaves. Originated from Maharashtra these ‘sabu vadas’ are perfect foil to enjoy the monsoon with green chutni and a hot cup of tea. It is one of the best options to have during fast/vrat/upvaas as it gives instant energy. In fact, sabudana vada is one of the star items in Navaratri Thali.

Sabudana or Tapioca pearls are derived from tapioca, a starch extracted from the root of cassava plant. They are gluten free source of carbohydrates and available in different sizes. Being rich in potassium they help to control blood pressure. For those who want to gain weight, sabudana is the right food for them as it contains good amount of carbohydrate and calories.

I tried sabudana vada in a nearby restaurant during Navaratri and instantly it won my heart at first go. It was for the first time I had it and was quite amused to discover such a crunchy preparation with sabudana. Sabudana also reminds me of a dish from my childhood when it is soaked in water and then mixed with grated coconut, curd and sugar. My mother used to have this to break her fasting. However now I am well aware of many delicious possibilities that can be made out of sabudana.

These days it is raining quite frequently and my craving grew for spicy crunchy snacks. In order to satisfy my taste buds I thought to try recipe of this sumptuous and light vadas instead of preparing our staple chops and cutlets. The recipe is quite simple and requires few handful ingredients. Only it takes some time to soak the tapioca pearls or sabudana. Let’s make it 😊

Ingredients for 20-22 pieces:

1. White tapioca pearl/Sabudana (medium size) – 1 small cup (100 gms.)
2. Potato – 2 (medium size)
3. Roasted & salted peanuts – ½ cup
4. Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
5. Black pepper powder – ½ teaspoon
6. Salt to taste (I used black salt)
7. Chopped green chilli – 3-4
8. Handful of chopped fresh coriander leaves
9. Lemon juice – 1 tbspoon
10. Oil for deep frying the vadas

Procedure :

• Wash sabudana 2-3 times with water. Then soak them in ¾ cup of water for 1.5 – 2 hours. Use same cup for measuring sabudana and water. After 2 hours if you press the sabudana between your fingers then it will break but it will not be too soft. 

• Boil the potatoes in a pressure cooker upto 3-4 whistles. As the pressure cooker comes to room temperature unlid it and take out the potatoes. Then remove the skin of the potatoes and mash them or grate them.
• Make a coarse powder of peanuts either in a blender or in a mortar and pestle.
• Then mix together all the ingredients, mashed potatoes, soaked sabudana, coarse peanuts, cumin seeds, black pepper powder, salt, chopped green chilli and fresh coriander on a large plate.

• After that clean your hand. Now grease your hand with water and start making lemon sized balls with the sabudana – potato mixture. You can make the balls round or flat according to your preference. I made both of them 😊

• Now heat sufficient amount of oil in a kadai and deep fry the balls over medium flame till they turn golden brown and cooked evenly.
• Transfer the fried balls or vadas on a paper towel.

• Serve Sabudana Vada hot with ketchup or green chatni.

Note :

1. In market, sabudana is available in different sizes. Here I used medium sized sabudana. If you are using smaller or bigger size then soaking time will decrease or increase accordingly.
2. For this recipe we don’t need mashed sabudana. After soaking they must be soft still holding their shape. So don’t soak sabudana for a longer time.
3. I have used roasted peanuts without husks which I bought from the market. If you are using raw peanuts, first dry roast them, remove their husks and then make a coarse powder out of them.
4. Don’t overcook the potatoes. It should not be mushy.
5. 2 potatoes are enough for this recipe. Don’t use more otherwise the vadas will soak more oil.

More veg snacks ideas :

• Paneer er Chop (Cottage Cheese Croquettes/ Cutlets)
• Vegetable Chop or Vegetable Cutlet
• Alur Chop or Potato Frites
• Singara or Samosa
• Rajasthani Mirchi Vada or Stuffed Chilli Fry
• Methi Mathri