Sabudana Vada Recipe

Rinse the sabudana well (4-5 times) till water runs almost clear.
In a wide bowl, soak sabudana in 3 cups of water for about 2-4 hrs. Cover and keep aside in a cool dry place. They will double in size and become fluffy.
Check if sabudana is soaked well by pressing one tapioca pearl between your thumb and index finger. It should mash and have no hard center. If they have a hard center soak for another 1 hour and check.
Improperly soaked sabudana (with a hard center) can burst in oil so it's important to soak the sabudana well.
Using a sieve or colander, drain the sabudana completely and let them drain till we prep the rest of the ingredients.
Alternately spread them on a paper towel to dry out excess moisture. Moist sabudana will make vada soggy and soak up oil so don't rush this process.

Boil potatoes until they are fork-tender and not too mushy. Overcooking will make them soggy.
Allow to cool slightly and while they are still warm, peel the skin off and mash. Keep aside.

Roast the peanuts in a heavy pan on medium-low heat stirring intermittently until they are golden and crispy.
Transfer them to a plate to cool and then peel the skin off by rubbing between your palms.
Crush the roasted peanuts to a coarse consistency (powder and peanut bits) using a mortar pestle or food processor. Keep them aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients, boiled mashed potatoes, soaked and well-drained sabudana, coarsely crushed peanuts, rice flour, cumin seeds, salt, sugar, coriander leaves (cilantro), lemon juice, green chilies (optional).
Mix using your hands or spoon so everything is well combined like a dough. Taste and adjust salt, sugar, and lemon juice as needed.
Divide the dough into 20-25 equal portions. Shape them round (like balls) or flatten them like patties
Shape the sago patties. Apply some oil to your palms roll the dough portions between your palm to make a smooth ball, and then flatten to shape as patties.
Seal and smoothen any cracked edges. Place the vada on a parchment-lined plate.
Don't make the vadas too thin or too thick. Thick vadas will cause the center to remain uncooked and thin vada might get too crunchy or break.
Cook the sabudana vada using one of the methods below - either deep frying, shallow frying, air frying, or baking.

Heat oil on medium heat in a pan or wok for deep frying the sabudana vada.
Test by dropping a small portion of the dough in the oil. It should rise steadily to the top. This indicates the oil is at the right temperature for frying
If the dough breaks in oil, add more rice flour (kuttu ka atta while fasting) or boiled potatoes. Mix well, test again in oil, and shape them.
To fry the vadas, gently slide 2-4 vadas in the hot oil depending on the size of your pan / wok. Fry on medium heat without overcrowding the pan.
When one side is lightly golden, turn them over gently. Do not turn them before or they may break-in oil. Fry until both sides are golden and crispy. The Vadas will also puff up slightly.
Remove the fried vada using a slotted spoon to drain the oil and transfer it on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Complete frying the rest of the vadas in a similar manner.

You can shallow fry the sabudana vada in a skillet/pan or use paniyaram / ebelskiver / appe pan.
For pan shallow frying - Heat oil on medium heat and place the vadas without overcrowding the pan. Flip once the bottom is golden and cook the other side until golden too. Drain and remove on a plate lined with a paper towel.
For the appe pan, shape the sabudana vada round, add few drops of oil in each round. Cook one side until golden and crispy and then use skewers to flip. Add a few drops of oil between flipping as needed. Cook until all sides are golden and crispy. Remove on a plate lined with a paper towel.

Place the Sabudana Vadas in the air fryer basket (7-8 without overcrowding), spray / brush some oil (optional).
Air-fry at 370°F-400°F for a total of 12-15 mins, flipping it halfway through. Depending on your air fryer, the time may vary slightly. Crispy Airfried Sabudana Vada is ready!!

Place sago vada on a parchment lined tray, Spray or brush vada with oil.
Bake at 400°F for 30 to 35 mins until crispy and golden on both sides. Flip halfway through. Depending on your oven make, the time may vary slightly.