Sabudana Wade / Sago Cutlets

Sabudana or Sago is a staple for Indian fasts, well known as Vrat or Upvaas. Sabudana Khichdi also known as Sago Pilaf is a vrat special food. Let me tell you about another sago delicacy - deep fried sago and potato cutlets, known as  Sabudana Vade.

Ingredients:

Sago/Sabudana - 1 cup

Potatoes - 2 medium

Peanuts/Groundnuts - 1/2 cup
Green Chillies - 5
Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs
Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Oil

Curd - 1 cup
Turmeric/Haldi - a pinch
Curry Leaves/Kadipata - a sprig
Red Chilies - 2
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida/Hing - a pinch

How to make Sabudana Wade:

• Wash Sago twice and drain the water. Add water just enough to form a thin layer on sago. Keep it covered for 5 - 6 hours.
• Boil the potatoes and dry roast the peanuts. After cooling, grind the peanuts to a coarse powder.
• Sago must turn almost double in size and soft to touch. If not, sprinkle some more water.
• Mix sago, boiled potatoes, roasted peanut powder, cumin seeds, chopped green chillies, chopped cilantro, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Make small balls of this mixture and flatten them. Deep fry these in medium hot oil until golden brown on both sides.

• Curd Dip: In a bowl, mix curd and little salt. For tempering/tadka, heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds pop, add curry leaves, red chilies, asafetida, turmeric and turn off the heat. Pour this tadka over curd and mix well.

Serve Sabudane Vade with curd or Coconut chutney.