Sabudana Vada

Sabudana Vada, also known as Sabudana Tikki, is a popular Maharashtrian snack made with sabudana (sago pearls), potatoes, and a few other simple ingredients. This crispy, golden-fried treat is a favorite during the Navratri festival and is perfect for vegetarians looking for a delicious snack. Whether you prefer it deep-fried, baked, or made in an air fryer, this recipe gives you all the tips to make these fritters crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Health Benefits of Sabudana Vada

While Sabudana Vada is traditionally enjoyed as a snack during fasting or festivals, it’s also packed with several health benefits, making it a great option for various diets.

Contains Essential Nutrients: Along with the peanuts, sabudana contains important vitamins and minerals like iron and calcium, essential for overall health.

Rich in Carbohydrates: Sabudana (sago pearls) is a high source of carbohydrates, providing an energy boost. This makes sabudana vada an excellent choice for fasting days or when you need a quick energy source.

Gluten-Free: This dish is naturally gluten-free, making it a perfect snack for those following a gluten-free diet or individuals with gluten intolerance.

High in Fiber: The roasted peanuts and potatoes in the recipe provide fiber, promoting digestive health and keeping you feeling full longer.

Easy to Digest: Sabudana is light on the stomach and easy to digest, which makes sabudana vada a great choice for people with sensitive stomachs or digestive issues.

Key Ingredients for Sabudana Vada

Fresh Cilantro – Adds a fresh, aromatic flavor to the fritters.

Sabudana (Sago Pearls) – Soaked to puff up and soften for the perfect texture.

Potatoes – Mashed to bind the ingredients and add a soft, fluffy interior.

Green Chilies – Finely chopped for a mild heat (adjust to taste).

Roasted Peanuts – Crushed for a delicious crunch and nutty flavor.

How to Make Sabudana Vada:

Soak the sabudana for a few hours or overnight, based on the variety and size you are using. Then drain the water and grate boiled potatoes to the soaked pearl fritters. Season with salt.

Dry roast the peanuts and then, once cooled, then crush them coarsely.

Add the crushed peanuts to the boiled potatoes and sabudana.

Finely chop a good doze of cilantro leaves and a couple green chilies. Now mix everything.

Rub oil on your hands to shape the mixture into flat discs.

Fry the sabudana vada is hot oil until golden and crispy.

FEW KEY TIPS:

• Do not over soak the sabudana. I have seen in the past that depending on the variety, it sometimes takes 4 hours to rehydrate these pearl and sometimes, it takes overnight. You want these pearl to be soft but retain shape.
• When you mash the boil potatoes, it is advised to use a grater. Grating the boiled potatoes gives a delicate, airy texture.
• When you are mixing everything, do it gently without squishing the pearls into a mush.
• When you are shaping the dumplings, and it starts to get sticky, just rub a little oil on your hand, and it will get easy.

Tips for Perfect Sabudana Vada:

Shaping Vada – If the mixture becomes sticky, rub a little oil on your hands to form neat tikkis.

Soak Sabudana Properly – Soak sabudana (sago) for 4 hours or overnight, ensuring they're soft but not mushy.

Grate the Boiled Potatoes – Grated potatoes give the vada a light, airy texture.

Gentle mixing – Avoid squashing the sabudana pearls to keep their integrity.

Tips on FRYING:

Fry the vada in medium hot oil. If you drop them in hot oil, it would brown up quickly, leaving the inside raw and tasteless. Give time and fry these slowly in medium hot oil.

Do not over-crowd the pan when frying.

Have you tried AIR FRYER 

Air Fryer is my current favorite option as it happens very quickly and the texture turns out just like the deep-fried. Crispy on the outside and fluffy inside.

In the above photo, one stack is deep-fried and the other stack is air fried. I doubt you can make any difference. 

Tips on BAKING the Sabudana Vada:

You have to add a little bit of oil in the mixture before you make the dumpling. Then, sear it on a cast iron pan on the stove top for the golden brown crust. After that, bake it in the oven.

I have tried baking the vada in the oven without searing on the stove top, and it didn’t work great. While it gets cooked and turned out fluffy, the golden brown color was missing.

Serving Suggestions for Sabudana Vada:

Sabudana vada can be served in many different ways. Pair it with these classic accompaniments to enhance your meal experience:

• Mint Chutney: A refreshing mint and coriander chutney complement the crispy fritters perfectly.
• Tamarind Chutney: The sweet and tangy flavor of tamarind chutney pairs wonderfully with the savory sabudana vada.
• Yogurt Dip: For a cooling contrast, serve these fritters with yogurt or raita, especially during the summer.
• Masala Chai: Enjoy a warm cup of masala chai alongside your sabudana vada for a traditional Indian tea-time snack.

Re-heating the Sabudana Vada:

Do not microwave the vada. Just layer the left over fried vada in a cookie wire rack over a cookie sheet. Bake it for 5 minutes at 375 F. It will crisp up once again. Or reheat in Air Fryer.

We both are extremely fond of this snack, and I often try to give my own little twist to it. I like to add some non-Indian spice mixes like jerk spice mix or pukka spice mix while making these fritters/vadas. Occasionally, I also like to add fresh greens, like fenugreek leaves or spinach.

Navratri Special dishes to try

Sabudana Khichdi

Sukha Kala Chana

Kuttu Poori & Vrat Aloo Sabzi

Makhane Ki Kheer

Sabudana Vada with Methi

Sabudana Vada Fried and Baked

Kankana Saxena

Sabudana Vada is a very popular Maharashtrian snack that is prepared with very basic 5 ingredients. It’s crunchy on the outside while being very soft and airy inside.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Snack and Fingerfood

Cuisine Indian

Servings 12

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ½ cup sabudana/sago (soaked until rehydrated)
• 1 big potato (boiled)
• ½ cup peanuts
• 2 green chili (very finely chopped)
• ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• oil for deep frying
• 2 tablespoon oil (if you are baking)

Instructions

 

• In a hot pan, dry roast the peanuts for a few seconds. Then, let it cool down completely before you coarsely grind it. You could even use a knife to finely chop it.
• Using a grater, grate the boiled potato into a mixing bowl along with the cilantro, green chili, salt and peanuts. Give it a mix.
• Drain the soaked sabudana and add it into the mixing bowl. Mix it around gently without squishing the sabudana too much.
• If you planning to bake the vada, add 1 tablespoon of oil to the mixture.
• To shape the dumplings, rub a little oil in your hand. This will prevent the vada from sticking. Take about 2 tablespoons and shape it into a disc.

FOR DEEP FRYING

• Place a skillet at medium heat and pour enough oil to deep fry the vada. Once the oil starts heating up, layer the shaped vada without over crowding the pan. After 2 minutes, gently flip the vada and continue flipping every now and then until it’s golden brown.
• Once done, keep it in a paper towel to drain off the excess oil. Serve warm.

FOR BAKING

• Preheat the oven to 375 F.
• Place a cast iron pan at high heat and grease the pan with a little oil. Place the vada in one layer and let it crisp up for 2 minutes. Then, flip and repeat for 2 more minutes.
• Place the cast iron pan into the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
• Serve warm.

FOR AIR FRYER

• Preheat the air fryer to 375 F
• Spray some oil on the sabudana and let it air fry for 12 to 15 minutes by turning once in between.
• Enjoy warm.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Servings