Chef Meherwan Irani fries up another street-food classic: Sabudana Vada - a vegan and gluten-free Maharashtrian snack. These crispy bites are made with tapioca pearls, potatoes, and sometimes peanuts and spiced with ginger, garlic, chilies, curry leaves, and turmeric powder.

These were paired with a little homemade version of Maggi Ketchup, but feel free to grab whatever go-to chutney you wanna dunk these crispy bites in - coconut chutney, tamarind chutney, and sweet yogurt. Kind of hard to go wrong.

To watch the IGTV Full video, click here. 

CHAI TIME: SABUDANA VADA

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup tapioca pearls, soaked 2 hours in water
4 medium sized potatoes, boiled and smashed
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp fresh garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp green chiles, deseeded and chopped
A few fresh curry leaves, chopped (optional)
1/2 tsp Spicewalla Turmeric
1/2 tsp Spicewalla Kashmiri Chili Powder
Pinch of Asafoetida powder/Hing
Spicewalla Sicilian Sea Salt, to taste
1-2 cups neutral cooking oil with high smoke point, we used Safflower
Crushed peanuts, optional

PREPARATION

1. In a bowl, combine tapioca pearls, potatoes, onion, cilantro, ginger, garlic, and chiles. Stir to incorporate, add curry leaves, turmeric, kashmiri, asafoetida, and a good pinch of salt. Mix to combine.
2. Portion into golf-ball size balls and flatten to form a ½ inch thick patty.
Heat oil in a saute pan over high heat, there should be about 1 inch of oil in the pan.
3. Gently place patties in the hot oil, make sure patties are fully submerged in oil. Cook for a few minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown.
4. Place patties on a paper towel to dry off excess oil.
5. Pair with crushed peanuts, chutney, or ketchup and enjoy!