Indian cuisine · Breakfast & Eggs

Sabudana Vada

Deep-fried patties of soaked tapioca pearls, potatoes and coarsely ground peanuts, crisp outside and soft inside.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 250 g tapioca pearls (sabudana)
• 500 g starchy potatoes
• 80 g peanuts
• 2 green chilies
• 1 piece ginger (3 cm)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 700 ml oil for deep-frying
• Salt

Instructions

1. Wash the tapioca pearls thoroughly until the water runs clear, then soak barely covered overnight and drain completely the next day — they should mash softly between your fingers.
2. Boil the potatoes in their skins for 20 min. until tender, peel and mash finely while still warm, then let cool completely.
3. Toast the peanuts in a dry pan for 3 min., let cool and crush coarsely in a mortar; finely chop the chilies, ginger and cilantro.
4. Knead everything together with the tapioca pearls, cumin, lime juice and 1.5 tsp salt into a moldable mixture and shape into 12 flat patties about 6 cm across.
5. Heat the frying oil to 170 °C — a crumb of dough must rise sizzling to the surface immediately — and deep-fry the vadas in batches for 4–5 min. until golden brown, turning once.
6. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately, hot, with yogurt or peanut chutney.