Sabudana Tikki

Sabudana, the central ingredient that occupies centre stage during fasts across the country, is interpreted through dishes like the khichdi, vada and kheer. During Navratri and Shravan Mas fasting, Indian restaurants have an inordinately large number of sabudana dishes on their menu. But the story of the hero of these iconic foods—the sabudana—remains largely untold.

Sabudana is made by extracting starch from the tapioca root, which is also known as cassava. The root is typically cleaned and crushed so it can release “milk”, which is laid out to rest for a few hours. The milk is then drained of impurities and shaped into mini globules with the help of a machine. These globules are then steamed, roasted or dried, and sometimes even polished to lend the clean, milky white colour we associate with sabudana.

As intrinsic as sabudana is to the ritual fast during Shravan, it hasn’t always been indigenous to India. Tapioca made an appearance in South India several times but never gained too much popularity in its early years. It is believed that in the late 1800’s, when the erstwhile Travancore was experiencing a major famine, the then king Ayilyam Thirunal Rama Varma introduced tapioca as a food that would protect the region from future calamities and provide a semblance of food security. The king’s brother and successor to the throne is also said to have eaten tapioca himself, in a bid to convince the people of the region that the tuber was safe and edible.

While this might have paved the way, it was during World War II that tapioca really found its way into India as a staple. Kerala, facing an acute rice shortage during this period, took to tapioca as a cheap and filling substitute. However sabudana as we know it would only arrive years later.

From root to pearl

Sabudana or sago has been an integral part of Chinese cuisine for thousands of years. It arrived in India as an import from South-east Asia in the 1940s. In India, the first crude sabudana units are said to have been set up in Salem, Tamil Nadu as late as 1943—less than 80 years ago.

Since then, the humble pearls have taken on various forms in Indian cuisine. Typically, the pearls are soaked in water overnight and combined with spices, peanuts and potatoes for Maharashtrian classics like Sabudana khichdi and vadas. In different parts of South India, sabudana is used in payasams, flavoured with jaggery and dry fruits. The pearls even lend themselves to airy, crunchy papads, made by cooking the sabudana down to a porridge-like consistency, shaping them into circles and drying them in the sun.

Although the origin of Sabudana Vada is difficult to trace, it is said to have originated in Mumbai as a healthy and filling option to consume during long fasting periods. The vada is a deep fried snack made out of soaked sago, mashed potatoes and spices mixed together. During the fasts, any product made out of grains should not be consumed, so sago comes as a good alternative since it is has vegetable source. Sabudana vada is served with a range of chutneys and is best eaten when hot. Mumbai has number of places which will serve sabudana vadas, even if you aren’t fasting. It is a common snack which is both healthy and light.

I'm not sure when I tasted it first; the sabudana tikki was super delicious fasting snack my Mother used to prepare for Navratri vrats. Crispy from outside and airy and light from inside, these tikkis were super tasty. Sometimes Mom would also add crushed peanuts at rhe edges and that used to make it super super crunchy ! 

 Ingredients:

1. Medium size boiled potatoes-4 (I took 2 Idaho potatoes those are big in size)
2. Sabudana-4 tbsp. (soaked in water overnight)
3. Salt
4. Green chillies-3
5. Black pepper powder-1 tsp.
6. Coriander leaves-2 tsp.
7. Ginger grated-1 tsp.
8. Oil for frying

Method:

*Wash sabudana in running water several times, water should stop looking milky. When you see clear water, squeeze and mix with other ingredients.

*Mash potatoes and add all the ingredients mentioned above except oil. 

*Make flat balls and drop in hot oil, later turn flame to medium low and fry till a nice light brown color.

*Serve with green coriander chutney or ketchup if it is not for fasting. if you made it as fasting food, use sendha namak in both tikki and chutney.

Note-----Excessive washing of tapioca or sabudana removes much of starch and gives it a transparent look .