Sabudana Vada (Sago Cutlets)

Sabudana is a beloved snack and fasting ingredient. Who doesn’t love this starchy and tasty fruit extract? Almost everyone I know is fond of the Sabudana Khichdi and loved consuming it during fasting and otherwise. Navratris are here, I love how they bring in all the major festivals of the year right one after the other. This year my brother is here and he is a big foodie, much more than me, can you believe it! And he is very demanding, you can’t repeat recipes often, haha. So I need to get creative and decided to make these Sabudana vadas during the Navratri fasts.

I made this whole entire Navratri Thali for him over the weekend. Here’s all you see from top to bottom- Fruits (Pomegranate, Orange, Chickoo/Sapota, Star Fruit), Apple – Cinnamon Kheer (Seb ki Kheer), Khatta Meetha Kaddu (Sweet and tangy Pumpkin),  Sabudana Vada (some were made in the air fryer and some in Appe pan), Sookhi Arbi (Colocassia dry matchstick veg), Amla Chutney, Kuttu ki Pooris (Buckwheat flour flatbread), Plain curd and Sabudana Khichdi.

I love eating Sabudana Vadas as a tea-time snack too. Since I make them either in my air fryer or appe pan so it is really healthy.

COOKING VARIATIONS:

You can cook the Sabudana Vadas in the following ways:

1. Air Fryer: Brush the Air fryer plate and the vadas by making small tikkis. Cook at 180 degrees Celsius for 13-15 minutes and they will turn crisp and brown.
2. Appe Pan: Add a little oil into your appe pan and make round balls of the sabudana vadas and add them to the pan. Cover and cook on low flame on each side for 5-7 minutes on each side.
3. Deep Fry: You can create small tikkis/cutlets and deep fry them in a kadhai of hot oil. Cook on both sides for about 2 minutes until crispy.
4. Microwave: Alternatively, line a microwave-safe tray with aluminium foil or butter paper and place the Sabudana vada cutlets and brush them slightly. Cook on 180 degrees Celsius for 20-25 minutes until crisp.

PREPARATION TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 10 minutes
SERVINGS: 4 (12-16 pieces)
DIFFICULTY SCALE: Medium

INGREDIENTS: 

1. Sabudana – 1 cup, soaked
2. Boiled potatoes – 2 large
3. Ginger – 1 small piece, grated
4. Peanuts – 1/4 cup, roasted and ground
5. Coriander leaves – 2 tablespoons, finely chopped
6. Green chilli -1, finely chopped
7. Salt – to taste

UTENSILS/EQUIPMENT:

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1. Colander or Sieve
2. Pressure Cooker
3. Potato Masher
4. Pan
5. Grinder
6. Appe Pan or Air Fryer
7. Mixing Bowl

RECIPE:

1. Wash the Sabudana 3-4 times rubbing it well with your hands to get rid of all the excess starch.
2. Soak 1 cup of Sabudana in 1.5 cups water. Soak for at least 3-4 hours.
3. Now drain out all the water and place the Sabudana in a colander. Keep it there for 20-30 minutes to remove all the excess moisture.
4. In the meanwhile, boil potatoes in a pressure cooker. I used 2 large potatoes or you can use 4-5 medium-sized potatoes. Submerge them well in a pressure cooker and place on high heat. Allow one whistle and then cook on low flame for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Once the pressure is released, take out the potatoes and cool them slightly. Peel and mash them with a potato masher.
6. Dry roast some peanuts in a pan for 5-7 minutes on medium to low heat. Keep moving constantly so that they are thoroughly cooked. Cool them off once they are properly roasted and remove their peel.
7. Add them to a grinder jar and pulse them once or twice to coarsely grind them.
8. Now add the Sabudana pearls in a bowl and mix the mashed potatoes and coarsely ground peanuts to it.
9. Grate some ginger and add that too along with some finely chopped pieces of coriander and green chilli.
10. Mix some salt and mix everything well with clean and dry hands.
11. If you are using an air fryer, preheat it for 5 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Make small flat tikkis and brush them with oil and add them to the air fryer.  Cook at 180 degrees for 13-14 minutes and they will crisp up nicely.

Serve hot Sabudana Vada with Green chutney and ketchup. This is another Navratri thali from last year – I had made Sabudana Vada in an appe pan here.