Sabudana Vada Recipe | Crispy Sago Vada

Sabudana vada is a classic Maharashtrian snack from India, made with tapioca pearls, boiled potato, peanuts and spices. Crispy on the outside, soft inside, learn how to make perfect sabudana vada every time. Step by step pictures, full video for beginners to learn easily.

Sabudana vada is a snack you can make any time of the year especially during rainy days as well as made for various festivals like Navratri, Maha Shivratri fasting, as vrat ka khana.

Check out my sabudana upma and sabudana khichdi recipe in this website.

Jump to:

• About Sabudana vada
• Sabudana vada Ingredients
• Step by step Images
• Top tips
• My notes
• Substitutions & Variations
• Storage
• Serving suggestions
• FAQs
• Recipe card

About Sabudana vada

Sabudana vada is one of the most famous snack in Maharashtra. Made with potato, peanuts, sago pearls and herbs (cilantro) it is so addictive as well as instant energy source.

Have been to Pune once, but I feel really bad that I missed to taste this once to know this authentic taste of the vada. My little co-sis have told it will be really delicious as they live in Pune.

I was thinking to try this for long time but never had a sabudana vada recipe, finally my friend Sangeeta read my mind seems. She sent the picture of sabudana vada through whatsapp, that she and her mom made for a get together dinner. I really drooled over it.

I asked for recipe and she sent it immediately, was surprised by the simplicity of the recipe. After trying khichdi, all similar ingredients for this as well, but I liked this one better, obviously, its deep fried, so sure it will be tastier. Its soft from inside and crispy outside, just no one can stop eating. Too good to resist!

During fasting, rule of thumb is, ingredients like grains, onion and regular salt are avoided. Sabudana vada fits perfectly because it is energy dense, neutral in flavour without masalas, mild spices and naturally gluten-free.

Sabudana vada Ingredients

Here are the ingredients needed to make sabudana vada.

• Sabudana pearls (Sago) - Main ingredient, provides structure. I used pepper sized whitish variety.
• Potatoes: Added for binding and this gives a dreamy soft texture along with sago
• Roasted Peanuts: Coarsely ground roasted peanuts for a great crunch, nutty flavor and prevent sogginess
• Green Chilies: For spice and flavor, adjust number depending on your spice level and chili's spice nature
• Coriander Leaves: To me these add a great flavor and consider to be important as the other ingredients.
• Cumin Seeds: Aids digestion as well as adds flavor to the snack.
• Salt - Use sendha namak (pink salt or himalayan salt) if making for fasting.
• Flour - For binding & crisp. Any fasting friendly millet flour like Singhara, Kuttu atta (buckwheat flour), Rajgira atta, samak or arrowroot.
• Lemon Juice - Brightens the taste.
• Ginger - Flavour & digestion
• Oil for Frying: I like to use peanut oil but you can use sunflower oil too.

Please see recipe card for full list and quantities.

Step by step Images

1. Wash 1 cup sabudana well and then soak overnight or minimum 5 hours soaking time, with water just to immerse the sago.

Cook 2 medium-sized potatoes just right without overcooking, approximately 2-3 whistles in a small pressure cooker when you cook directly.

Make sure not to overcook potatoes as there should not be any excess moisture.

2. Then, roast 4 tablespoon of peanut in medium flame to ensure even roasting. Cool down and remove skin, if it has.

3. Once cooled, powder coarsely. Peel potato and mash it.

Place soaked sabudana, 1 teaspoon of ginger, cumin seeds, powdered peanut, green chilli, flour, powdered rock salt in a mixing bowl.

4. Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Mix everything, no need to add any water. It will form a dough together.

5. Then, make equal sized balls out of it and make small patties in your palm, ready and arrange in a plate while the oil is getting heated. Slide the patties to hot oil and deep fry in low-medium heat.

7. Cook vada both sides golden brown in colour. Drain in paper towel.

Serve hot, can have as such, if you want, try green chutney as side dish. The peanuts add a nice texture for this vada.

Top tips

• Do not overcook potatoes.
  Pressure cooking potatoes: Immerse in water, add lots of salt and give just a whistle or two in pressure cooker. Take out immediately as soon as the pressure is released naturally. You can choose to cut into two or four, or just poke it with a fork in several places. I cook with skin. You can choose to cook in your own method, just make sure not to over cook as it retains water and dissolves in oil.
• Soaking well ensures soft results, not chewy hard vada.
• Adding too much flour makes vada hard or chewy at times. So add very little for binding.
• Make sure the mixture is dry, otherwise it will dissolve in oil.

My notes

Oil temperature should be hot when you drop the vada in oil. Otherwise the vada will be too oily. Regulate heat when frying to medium or low and then again to high as needed.

Do not leave the sabudana vada in kitchen tissue for long. Once oil drains, I recommend to transfer to another serving dish. Because the paper gets stuck to sabudana as it cools in the paper. I experienced this, so thought of mentioning it here.

Add sugar for even browning, especially if you soak less, the color may not be even.

For washing sago, you can use a colander for easily draining the water.

Substitutions & Variations

• You can also add coconut for taste and softness.
• Curry leaves can be added for aroma.
• Replace potato with sweet potato.
• Use flour as per your choice. But during fasting, make sure to avoid rice flour or flour with gluten. Please also note during fasting we cannot add onions and garlic.
• For healthier option, you can choose to Air-fry or use appe pan or as sabudana tikki over tawa.

Ask AI for Airfryer version of this recipe

Storage

I have tried storing the sabudana vada mixture in fridge. I recommend storing not more than couple of hours in refrigerator. Otherwise it turns reddish easily while frying.

If you want to freeze, half fry (Half cook) and then freeze it. Later you can fry it or air fry it until golden.

Serving suggestions

You can serve Sabudana vada with green chutney or coconut chutney or simply plain yogurt too.

FAQs

Recipe card