rock salt(edible and food grade) or sendha namak, add as required
oil as needed for frying
Instructions
Making sabudana pakoda mixture
Soak the sabudana or tapioca pearls in enough water overnight or for 4 to 5 hours.
Later drain all of the water very well using a strainer and keep aside the sabudana in a mixing bowl.
Boil the potatoes, peel and chop roughly.
Roast the peanuts in a pan till browned and crisp.
In a mortar-pestle, coarsely crush the roasted peanuts.
Add all ingredients to the drained sabudana, including the chopped potatoes and peanuts.
Mix the ingredients really well using a spoon or with clean hands. Check the taste and add more salt or sugar if required.
Frying sabudana pakoda
Heat oil in a kadai or pan.
Make small balls with your hands or using a spoon drop the mixture in to medium hot oil. Keep the heat to medium to medium-high.
Let the pakoras become opaque and then turn them with a slotted spoon.
First let the sabudana pakoda become opaque and lightly golden while frying and then turn them with a slotted spoon. Don’t be in a hurry to turn them as this will break them in the oil. So first let the pakoda firm up and become light golden before turning over.
Deep fry the second side till they are golden and crisp. You can turn them a few times with a slotted spoon as needed to get an even golden color.
Once perfectly fried, then remove them carefully with a slotted spoon draining as much oil as possible.
Place them on paper napkins to remove excess oil.
Serve sabudana pakodas hot or warm with tomato sauce or green chutney or coconut chutney. If you are making them for fasting then serve them with phalahari chutney.
Best to have them hot for best taste.
Notes
If making for kids or folks who cannot tolerate chilies, then skip the green chili completely.
When making for any Hindu fasting days ekadashi or navratri fast, do add edible rock salt only. However if making them for regular non-fasting days then you can add regular salt instead of rock salt.
Instead of buckwheat flour, you can use other fasting flours like amaranth flour, water chestnut flour. If making for non-fasting days, use rice flour, gram flour (besan) or cornstarch.
Make sure the oil is medium-hot while frying.
When making for fasting days I fry them in peanut oil.