Air Fryer Sabudana Vada recipe
Crisp sabudana vada made with soaked sabudana, potato, mint and simple fasting-friendly seasonings, then cooked from frozen in the air fryer.
Servings: 8 medium vada (or 10-12 small)
Equipment
- kadai/frying pan (traditional method)
- or air fryer for low oil version
- Mixing bowl
- Sieve
- skimmer spoon / chhana for frying
Ingredients
- 1 cup sabudana soaked for about 4 hours; yields about 1 ½ cups after soaking
- 2 medium potatoes mashed and peeled (refer notes) You can use sweet potatoes; for 1 ½ cups soaked sabudana, use ½ cup boiled sweet potato
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 tbsp. coriander/mint leaves Do not use coriander during fasting/vrat
- 1-2 chopped green chilies adjust as per taste
- salt as per taste
- 2 tbsp. oil for air fryer
- Oil for deep frying if you are deep frying
Instructions
- Wash sabudana well and soak it in enough water for about 4 hours, until the pearls soften and puff up. Drain any excess water well.
- Mix together the soaked sabudana, mashed potatoes, ginger, green chilies, mint leaves and salt.
- Shape the mixture into 10 to 12 small vada or 6 to 8 medium-sized vada.
Frying (Traditional method)
- If the mixture feels soft, refrigerate the shaped vada for 20 to 30 minutes before frying. Deep fry in medium-hot oil until evenly golden and crisp on all sides. Freezing is not required for deep frying.
For air fryer version (with potato or sweet potato)
- For the air fryer, always freeze the shaped raw vada for 4 to 6 hours, or until completely firm. Cook them directly from frozen; do not thaw.
- Preheat the air fryer to 180°C (355°F).
- Brush the frozen vada with some of the 2 tablespoons oil and air fry at 180°C for about 25 minutes. Flip once during cooking, brush with the remaining oil as needed, and cook until crisp and golden on both sides.
- Serve warm.
Video
Notes
If you want to use sweet potatoes, boil the sweet potato, allow it to cool completely and then refrigerate it before using.
Soaking time for sabudana depends on its type and quality. If the mixture becomes too sticky or soft, add a little kuttu or rajgiri flour if needed. For deep frying, chilling the shaped vada is enough if the mixture feels soft. For air frying, always freeze the shaped vada for 4 to 6 hours or until firm and cook directly from frozen.