Sabudana Wada ( Fritters made from Tapioca pearls).

Sabudana ( tapioca pearls) is one of the most commonly consumed item during fasting. Sabudana is basically tapioca pearls. Sabudana can be used to make kheer ( pudding), khichidi , thalipeeth ( pancakes), idlis and wadas. For all these items, Sabudananeeds to be soaked in water for 3-4 hours first and is then used. Dry Sabudana pearls are hard and therefore inedible. Soaking it in water makes it soft , tender and edible. Today, I am sharing with you the recipe for Sabudana wadas that is super-easy, quick and delicious.

Servings: makes around 6-8 wadas

Prep time: 3 hours ( includes soaking time)

Cook time: 10 mins 

Total time: 3 hours & 10 mins

Ingredients:

Sabudana: 1/2 cup
Potato: 1 medium sized
Green chillies: 2-3, finely chopped
Cumin powder: 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Crushed peanut halves: 2 tbsp ( optional)
Salt/rock salt/ sendha namak: 1/8 tsp
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Oil for frying or greasing the appe pan.
Water: for soaking Sabudana and boiling potato.

Method:

Soak Sabudana for 3-4 hours with just enough water to cover it.

Boil whole potato with skin, in water, until tender enough to mash, around 10-15 mins.

When the potato has cooled, remove from water, peel, dice and mash it coarsely without adding any water.

To this add chopped green chillies, cumin powder, salt, sugar, soaked and drained Sabudana, coriander leaves, crushed peanuts and mix well to make a dough.

Pinch lemon sized portion of dough and shape it into a ball. Gently pat it down to shape it into a patty. 

Do this with all available dough and keep aside.

You can fry it using the deep-fried method or the using the appe pan ( healthier version). If using the appe pan, don't flatten the ball too much.

For deep-fried version:

Heat oil on medium heat in a small wok/ frying pan. 

Once the oil is hot enough, add the prepared patties into the oil.

 Do not drop more than 2-4 at a time as it will overcrowd the pan. If overcrowded, it will not fry well.

Fry for 2-3 mins on one side or until golden brown. 

Flip and fry for 2-3 mins on the other side. Drain onto paper towels.

Serve hot with a chutney of your choice.

Appe pan method: ( healthier version)

Heat the appe pan on medium heat. 

Grease the appe pan thoroughly. 

Place the prepared balls of dough into the indentations in the pan. 

Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked thoroughly.

Serve hot with a chutney of your choice.

Enjoy.

Cooking made easy:

How do you know if your oil is hot enough??
If you drop a little drop of batter into the oil, it should come up and float on top of the oil. This means the oil is at the right temperature.
If the batter sinks, the oil is not hot enough.
If the oil is smoking, then the oil is too hot and most likely will burn the food.

Tip for healthy living:

Any given day, cooking something in the appe pan is healthier than deep-frying as the appe pan uses less oil and therefore the calorie content of the food item is less.

Food for thought:

True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it is lost. Charles Caleb Colton