Sabudana Vada | Air Fryer

Sabudana vada is a popular Indian breakfast, snack, and appetizer originating from the western part of India, Maharashtra. It is served with green chutney and enjoyed with hot tea and is really a treat on a cool rainy day.

They are also called tapioca fritters or sago fritters and are vegan and gluten-free. Traditionally, sabudana vada is deep-fried in oil but with the air fryer, you have a healthier option available to enjoy this delicious snack. It requires very little oil.

Ingredients

To make sabudana vada, you will need sabudana, also known as tapioca pearls or sago pearls. They are easily available in Indian grocery stores or online on Amazon. I like to use the Laxmi brand but other brands work well too.

Making sabudana vada needs a little bit of planning ahead as the tapioca pearls must be soaked for a few hours before it is ready to use.

Some spices like cumin seeds and green chilies add flavor while peanuts add some crunchiness. You can use roasted unsalted peanuts or even the unroasted ones will work fine.

Boiled potatoes are used for binding everything well. Red potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes work well as they are more sticky and bind well.

Instructions

The first step towards making the vadas is to wash and soak the sabudana for about 8 hours (or overnight). Once washed, soak it in water such that sabudana is completely covered and the level of water is slightly above it.

Sabudana will expand in volume and should ideally soak all the water. If there is any water remaining, you can drain it.

Make sabudana tikki

The next step is to make sabudana tikki or patty. Make a mixture by adding boiled mashed potatoes, ground peanuts, chopped serrano peppers, sugar, salt, and cumin seeds.

I prefer using red potatoes as they bind well. Any green chilies can be used however serrano peppers give a perfect spicy taste. Peppers can also be adjusted to the desired spiciness level.

If you are able to find skinned peanuts in the grocery store, they work great, but sometimes I just have to work with the regular ones. Peanuts can be coarsely ground in a morsel or a blender.

Mix everything well until it binds like dough. I prefer to wear a kitchen glove while doing it as the serrano peppers can cause a burning sensation in your palms.

Take a small amount of mixture to make a ball about two inches in size. Roll it between your palms until it is well-rounded and smooth. Some people prefer round vadas and some prefer flat sabudana tikki or patty.

To make flat vadas, press the mixture ball between your palms to make a patty about a centimeter thick and smoothen it around the edges.

Air fry sabudana vada

Preheat the air fryer to 390°F. Depending on your air fryer it will preheat once you start it and then prompt you to add food once it is preheated. In the meantime, apply little oil on both sides of the vadas with a basting brush.

Place sabudana tikki in the air fryer and cook for 5 mins and then flip them over and cook for another 5 minutes. Vadas will have a light brown color on the surface. Let it cool for a few minutes before serving.

Variations

To deep fry the sabudana vada, heat some oil in a pan or a wok on medium-high flame. The oil should be at least an inch in depth to allow the vadas to fry well. Drop the tikkis one by one and fry them on both sides until they are golden brown in color. Sabudana vada is crispy from the top and soft from the inside.

Serving suggestions

Sabudana vada is served with Indian chutneys like green chutney or sweet yogurt accompanied by some hot masala chai. Personally, I also love to eat them with a spicy masala powder "jiralu" made by dear mom.

They are perfect to serve at a party or potluck as an appetizer. You can prepare the tikkis ahead of time and deep fry or air fry just a few minutes before serving.

Equipment

I have made these tapioca fritters in the Philips air fryer. They can be made in any air fryer, basket style, or tray style. Depending on the capacity of the air fryer, you will have to air fry the sabudana vada in multiple batches.

Storage

Sabudana vadas can be made in advance and frozen. Uncooked vada can be frozen for a few months. Be sure to use parchment paper in between two layers else it will be difficult to separate them after freezing.

To cook the frozen vadas in an air fryer, they must be thawed and then cooked at 350°F. A lot of moisture is lost in freezing and thawing the vadas, air frying at a higher temperature will make them very dry.

Don't forget to check out these recipes

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• Samosa Chaat
• Dabeli
• Vada pav
• Sev puri
• Indian street food recipes
• Indian appetizers
• Air fryer Indian recipes
• Air fryer vegan recipes
• Tapioca pudding

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