Sabudana Vada / Tapioca Fritters

Sabudana Vadas are delicious deep-fried fritters made with tapioca, potatoes, and peanuts. When I mentioned to one of my friends that this is basically a double-carb deep-fried fest, she balked. It seems almost illegal to make, let alone consume, such decadent food these days. The calorie-police are all over the place :).

But, as I always say, that's why we have special indulgent days in the year in the form of birthdays, anniversaries, and festivals. So, set aside your guilt to try these out during an indulgent evening.

I added a few additional ingredients - onion, cloves, and cardamom - that are not commonly added to sabudana vadas. I couldn't help adding the essential ingredients that spice up masala vadas. But, not to worry, the cloves and cardamom do not overpower the vadas. They bring a subtle flavor and aroma that will intrigue your guests enough to wonder what the "secret" addition is.

Ingredients (makes 23 vadas):

1. 1 cup tapioca / sabudana
2. 3 small potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
3. 1 small onion, finely chopped
4. 1/2 cup peanuts
5. 3 cloves
6. 3 green cardamoms
7. 1 tablespoon minced ginger
8. 2 green chillies, minced
9. 1 tablespoon rice flour
10. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
11. 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
12. salt, as needed
13. vegetable oil for deep frying

Preparation:

1. Wash and soak the tapioca with just enough water to cover it. Soak for 4-8 hours and drain the water
2. Dry roast the peanuts until they begin to brown. When cool, grind to a powder along with cloves and cardamom
3. Add the mashed potatoes and the above peanut-spice powder to the soaked tapioca. Also, add the remaining ingredients - ginger, chillies, rice flour, turmeric powder, salt, and coriander leaves
4. Mix all the ingredients evenly without adding any water
5. Make lime-sized balls of the mixture
6. Heat oil on medium heat until a small speckle of the mixture begins to fry immediately. Make discs out of the prepared balls and fry them evenly on both sides until golden brown. Drain the vadas on paper towels. 

Serve with a spicy chutney or ketchup