Ingredients

• 1 cup sabudana (tapioca pearls), soaked overnight
• 2 medium potatoes, boiled & mashed
• ½ cup roasted peanuts, coarsely ground

• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt to taste (sendha namak for fasting)

• Oil for deep frying

Instructions

1. Check Sabudana: After soaking, press a sabudana pearl between fingers. It should mash easily without a hard center.
2. Prepare Mixture: In a bowl, add soaked sabudana, mashed potatoes, ground peanuts, green chillies, ginger, cumin, salt, lemon juice, and coriander.
3. Mix Well: Combine gently until everything binds together without excess moisture.
4. Shape Vadas: Grease your palms lightly and shape lemon-sized portions into flat discs.
5. Heat Oil: Heat oil on medium flame. Drop a small bit to test—if it rises slowly, oil is ready.
6. Fry Carefully: Slide vadas gently into oil. Do not overcrowd the pan.
7. Golden Fry: Fry on medium-low heat, turning occasionally, until crisp and golden on both sides.
8. Drain & Serve: Remove on kitchen paper and serve hot with green chutney or sweetened curd.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Perfectly crisp outside and soft inside
• No soggy or broken vadas
• Ideal for fasting and regular days
• Made with simple pantry ingredients
• Authentic Maharashtrian taste

Common Mistakes

• Using wet sabudana
• Frying on high flame
• Skipping potatoes
• Overcrowding oil

Variations

Jain Version: Skip ginger and coriander.
Spicy: Add crushed black pepper.
Non-fasting: Add a spoon of rice flour for extra crunch.

Personal Note

I’ve made Sabudana Vada countless times, and the biggest learning was patience. Once I stopped rushing the frying process, everything changed. This recipe is close to my heart because it reminds me of fasting mornings with hot chai and freshly fried vadas.