For most of us Indians, fasts are an excuse to eat more. Honestly. You won't find anyone fasting, at least not the traditional fasters, for weight loss or for a cleanse or for any of those reasons people fast here in the West. Instead, we fast to please the gods, or to get something we covet, or just for salvation. And because the gods don't really want us to suffer, or so the belief goes, we line those fasts, wall to wall, with some pretty tasty food.
My aunt, Vilas maushi, who was the most avid faster I know, would go on serial fasts that recurred on specific days over several weeks, with names that sounded really colorful in Konkani: Sixteen Fridays, Fourteen Tuesdays, Seventeen Saturdays, whatever. The only food that was off-limits on those days was the food that you ate regularly: so no dal, rice, chapatis, rotis, sabzi, etc., and often, no garlic. But there were plenty of loopholes. You could have foods made with other types of grains, or gluten-free flours like chestnut. Potatoes, yogurt, milk were all perfectly acceptable. There was even a special kind of rice you could cook and eat instead of the regular rice.
The more austere fasters who did starve themselves all day would feast on rich food as soon as the deadline for fasting, usually sunset, was past.
One of my favorite fasting foods -- although I am incapable of fasting -- was sabudana or tapioca pearls. These brittle-looking, bright-white, almost luminescent pearls are gluten-free and I always have them in my pantry because they can be turned into some of the tastiest treats you can imagine, including a sweet pudding and khichari. These Fat-Free Tapioca Pearl Fritters, or Sabudana Vada, which my mom often made for Vilas Maushi during her fasts, are my favorite.
Tapioca pearls are really easy to cook with- they are starchy, with a bland taste that showcases flavors added to it beautifully. All you need is a few simple herbs and spices: coriander leaves, curry leaves, green chilies, garlic and garlic and they turn into beautiful, golden little devils who will make you go just a little delirious for wanting them.
Sabudana vada are usually deep-fried, but I wanted to cut down on the fat-- drastically. Ebelskiver pan to the rescue. Similar to an aapam or paniyaram pan used by south Indians, this pan used by the Danish to make deep, fluffy pancakes, is also a perfect tool to "deep-fry" foods with a minimal amount of fat. For my Tapioca Pearl Fritters, all I did was spray them with some fat-free oil spray, but if you wish you can just brush on a thin layer of oil.
These are also quick and easy to make. You do need to soak the pearls in water for a few hours, but after that the process is smooth and simple. I even used a food processor to help "knead" the fritter dough. If you are, like me, eager to save time where you can and decide to use the food processor, be sure to pulse the dough no more than two or three times, for just a few seconds each time, or you will get the tapioca and potato gummy.
I was a little surprised myself by how perfect these fritters turned out. They were crispy on the outside and gooey and soft inside, and Jay went just a little crazy for them. Between him and Desi they would all have disappeared in seconds, but...I was there first.
Related recipes
Fat Free and Gluten Free Tapioca Pearl Fritters or Sabudana Vada
Ingredients
- 1 cup tapioca pearls (sabudana. Soaked in water for four hours, then drained thoroughly. The sabudana will be quite soft after soaking. Squeeze lightly with your hands to get excess moisture out and reserve.)
- 1 large russet potato (boiled, peeled and mashed)
- ¼ cup rice flour
- 2 green chilies (like jalapeno, finely minced. Discard seeds if sensitive to heat)
- ¼ cup cilantro
- ½- inch knob ginger (grated)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 shallot (or small red onion, minced)
- 10-12 curry leaves
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and knead by hand until a "dough" forms.
- If you're doing this in the food processor, place all ingredients in the bowl of the food processor and pulse two or three times, no more than five seconds each time, until the dough comes together. You shouldn't need any water, but if the dough absolutely won't stick, add a tiny bit of water, a teaspoon at a time, until it comes together.
- Spray an ebelskiver pan or a griddle with some fat-free spray or brush on a thin layer of oil.
- If using the ebelskiver pan, shape into a rounded fritter and press into each of the cavities of the ebelskiver. If you're using a griddle, dampen your palms with water and shape the fritters flat so the entire fritter touches the surface of the griddle.
- Flip over the fritter after a couple of minutes, or when the underside has golden-brown spots.
- Cook the other side until golden-brown spots appear. If using the ebelskiver, press down slightly with a spoon to ensure the fritter touches the surface of the pan.
- Serve hot with chutney.
Sarah
I had a lot of tapioca lying around, so I thought I'd try this. It was not what I expected - I imagined that it would turn out kind of like hot tots - mashed jalepeno potatoes fried into balls. Not at all. This was completely different. I had to improve as the batches were cooked, and found that they really turn out best pan fried in about 1/2" of oil. They are very chewy and need that crispy outside. After I got used to the texture, I decided that I really liked them. I didn't add the pepper because I was feeding my kiddos, but it really needs it. The four-year-old loved them, the ten-year-old did not. I've never tried anything like this recipe, so it was fun to cook & eat something new.
Krithika
Hi Vaishali, I got myself an ebelskiver pan and just made my first batch of paniyarums with dosa batter today. They turned out beautifully!! These vadas and next on my list to make. I was wondering if I could store the leftover mixture in the fridge for a couple of days?
Vaishali
Hi Krithika, yes, that should be fine!
ss
I've heard mixed things about sabudana in that they are not vegetarian. Something about the way they are made. But since you cook with them I'm assuming they are safe to eat?
Vaishali
Hi SS, the only ingredient in sabudana is tapioca starch. You can find all kinds of misinformation on the internet, but there really is no basis to rumors that there could be gelatin or whatever in it because as starchy as tapioca is, it doesn't need gelatin to gel. If you are still in doubt, here's one tutorial on how to make it at home with tapioca flour:
Krithika
That pan is a great tip! I love appams, have had very limited success with making them using a cake pop maker. Now I may just have to get that pan, for appams and this!
Vaishali
Hi Krithika, the ebelskiver pan is really great for "deep frying" lots of stuff-- including batata vadas (yum!).