Sabudana Vada

Recipe submitted by: Aarya Joshi, Grade 11

Ingredients:

• One cup sago pearls (sabudana)

• 1 Potato boiled and mashed

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• 1 teaspoon of ground green chilly

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)

• 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

• 1/2 cup roasted and coarsely crushed peanuts

• Salt to taste

• Oil for deep frying

• Plain yogurt (optional)

Procedure:

1) Put the sago pearls in a bowl and rinse them 2 to 3 times with water.

2) Soak the clean sago pearls in water. Make sure it fills the pot 1 inch above the sago pearls.

3) Cover the bowl with a dish or saran wrap and let the peals soak overnight or for at least 5 to 6 hours.

4) Once the sago has soaked, drain any remaining water from the bowl. **IMPORTANT NOTE: Sago pearls must be well soaked. They should be easily crushed when compressed between two fingers. Make sure no water is left in the bowl. If sago is not soaked properly or if there is too much moisture, it may burst and shatter in the oil while frying causing scalding and burns on the skin.

5) Mix the sago pearls, mashed potato, cumin seeds, ground peanuts, ground ginger, salt, coriander leaves, green chillies and lemon juice(optional) together with your hands, or a spatula.

6) Divide into 14 to 16 equally sized balls, then gently flatten each one between the palms of your hands so that it forms a patty-like shape. Apply oil to your hands to avoid sticking if necessary.

7) Deep fry the patties until golden brown.

8) Serve while hot! Optional: Serve with plain yogurt to act as a dipping sauce.

Aarya's personal connection:

"Sabudana Vada" ( Saa - boo - dah - nah Vah - dah ) is a traditional dish from the Maharashtra region of India. As far as I can remember, this has always been my favorite dish of all time. I have fond memories of my grandmother and mother making it for me as a toddler. In elementary school, They would make it for me every single week on a Thursday as an afterschool meal: as you can imagine, Thursday became my favorite day of the week. Nowadays, this dish is something I crave constantly, and the one night a month I get to eat it, I'm reminded of all the good memories I have associated with Sabodana Vada.

Aarya's Bio:

My parents immigrated to Canada from the Indian state of Maharashtra, bringing with them their culture. The dish described here belongs to Maharashtrian cuisine, which is a part of my cultural heritage. Some other fun facts about me are that I enjoy reading, art, and science, and I live with my parents, my 13 year old sister, and my German Shepard named Ginger.