Sabudana Tikki | Sabudana Cutlet Recipe

Sabudana tikki are thin pan-fried patties made with tapioca pearls, mashed potatoes and spices. Also known as sabudana cutlet, these crispy patties make for a delicious snack that will get over in no time. This recipe is suitable for Hindu fasting days like Ekadashi, Navratri, Mahashivratri or Chaturthi. It is also easy to customize this dish with the ingredients you include during your fast.

Sabudana called as sago or tapioca pearls are often consumed during fasting or vrat. Basically these are small white pearls made from tapioca flour starch.

How to make Sabudana Tikki

1. Rinse and then soak ½ cup sabudana pearls in water covering them above from 1 to 2 inches, for 5 to 6 hours or overnight.
2. Then drain the soaked sago pearls very well in a strainer.
3. Boil or steam 1 large potato in a stove-top pressure cooker, steamer, Instant Pot or microwave oven. The potato has to be softened and well cooked. Drain all the water from the boiled potato.
4. When the potato is slightly hot or warm, peel and mash it with a fork or a vegetable masher very well in a bowl. Let the mashed potato become lukewarm or cool completely at room temperature before you begin adding the remaining ingredients to it.
5. Now add the following ingredients. You can also use roasted and slightly crushed peanuts instead of cashews.

• the sabudana pearls that have been drained of all the water
• ½ teaspoon chopped green chillies
• 10 to 12 cashews (chopped) or 4 tablespoons chopped cashews
• ½ tablespoon chopped raisins
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder
• ¼ teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder) or add as per taste
• edible rock salt (sendha namak) as required

6. Mix very well. I was very sure that the tikkis will not break while frying. This recipe works. But if you are in doubt, you can add 1 tablespoon of arrowroot flour or water chestnut flour or buckwheat flour.
7. Then form flat patties from the mixture. Keep the width of the patties to ⅓ inch as when cooking they cook quickly from outside.
8. Heat 2 tablespoon peanut oil in a frying pan or skillet. Place 4 to 5 sabudana tikki in the pan and fry on medium heat. You can also use ghee (clarified butter) to pan-fry.
9. When the base is lightly browned, flip using a spatula and pan-fry the other side. If needed you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons more oil.
10. Flip again when the second side is golden. Flip a couple of times more, until the sabudana cutlets are crisp and golden from both sides.
11. Place the pan-fried sabudana tikki on kitchen paper towels to remove any extra oil.
12. Fry the remaining batches in the same way add 1 to 2 tablespoons oil or as needed. The recipe makes for 8 sabudana cutlet.

Ingredients

• ½ cup sabudana (tapioca pearls or sago)
• 1 large potato or 130 grams potato – boiled, peeled and mashed
• ½ teaspoon chopped green chilies or 1 green chili
• 10 to 12 cashews – chopped or 4 tablespoon chopped cashews or 2 tablespoon roasted peanuts, coarsely crushed
• ½ tablespoon chopped raisins or 8 to 9 raisins – chopped
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder
• ¼ teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur) or add as per taste
• 1 tablespoon rock salt – edible and food grade, (sendha namak), add as required
• 3 to 4 tablespoons peanut oil – for pan frying