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Cooking With Anadi
12K subscribers · crispy tapioca and potato cutlets, fasting food made tasty
What Is Sabudana?
Sabudana - also referred to as sago - translates to “tapioca pearls.” Sabudana is often consumed during fasting, particularly during the Navratri celebration. In the Hindu religion, Navratri translates to “nine nights”, taking place over the course of ten days. The celebration varies slightly across India’s various regions, but the core celebration is for the “divine feminine.” For more information about the Navratri festival, refer to this article. While there are many festivals and celebrations that take place, this is also a time for fasting and to omit specific foods in one’s diet.
Popular grains such as rice, rice flour, wheat flour and atta, all-purpose flour, sooji (semolina) and besan (chickpea flour) are not being consumed during this time. Furthermore, lentils and legumes, corn, corn flour, oats, flaxseeds or chia seeds, are also off-limits. You must avoid onion and garlic, and you must use a special kind of salt called “sendha namak,” which translates to rock salt, in your cooking. You must only eat vegetarian food. For a full list of foods permitted and to be avoided during Navratri, refer to this list.
With that being said, there isn’t a lot that is allowed, and you want to be full! Sabudana is one of the “permitted” foods, and when my mom fasted for Navratri, we had plenty of recipes containing sabudana. Sabudana is a great replacement for the grains because it is rich in starch (with no other vitamins or minerals) and pure carbohydrates. During a fast, an instant energy source is much needed! On its own, sabudana tastes pretty bland and it’s not very exciting. However, when you incorporate it in recipes, it really works like a charm! You’d be surprised to know how sabudana can be used in so many sweet and savory dishes! I should definitely share more on the blog! Let me know if you’d be interested in other sabudana recipes!
What Is Sabudana Aloo Tikki?
This dish translates to a tapioca and potato cutlet. In Hindi, “aloo” means “potato.” This cutlet is made with tapioca pearls, boiled potatoes, and roasted peanuts.
So why am I sharing this recipe with you today? Well, while it’s not fasting time at the moment, you don’t have to be fasting to enjoy this awesome recipe! It’s a great snack no matter the occasion, and my sister and I would ask my mom to make this even if it wasn’t fasting season! Additionally, if you’re subscribed to me on YouTube (and if you’re not then please do so! I release all the recipe videos at the same time as the written recipes go live, and I do find that video recipes can give you a great visualization of how to prepare the dish!) you know that I’ve been hosting an open YouTube collaboration throughout the month of August 2021 which I called #mycookingjourney2021. This collab is in honor of India’s 75th Independence Day on August 15th! The objective for this collaboration is to have home cooks who have never delved into the exciting world of Indian cooking brush aside the excuses and finally get in the kitchen and start creating! Even if you’re not a newbie, you can benefit from the collaboration by creating some new extravagant fusion recipes! I took on the challenge too, and it’s been so much fun! I’ve made some new fusion recipes, and I really have been perfecting some classic recipes that I never gave much thought to have. I’ve learned so much along the way too!
I’ve only made this Sabudana Tikki once before, and it was two years ago! It was always my mom who made it, but I really wanted to enjoy this fun little snack, and it’s something different to share on the blog! At the time of writing, the next Navratri fast will take place from October 7th to October 15th, so if you’re looking for a fasting snack, then I’m sure you’re going to love this! Even if you want to switch up the menu and try something new, then definitely prepare this crispy and exciting snack! Let’s get to the recipe now!
How Long do I Soak the Sabudana For?▼
Soak your sabudana for at least three hours or as long is it takes for the tapioca to be completely soft if you press it. Then drain the excess water and let it rest for another hour. If you don’t soak it for long enough, it will be hard and chewy when you cook it. However, soaking it for just the right amount of time will leave the tapioca to melt in your mouth when it’s cooked into a patty!
My Cutlet Exploded! What’s Wrong?▼
Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear that! To be honest with you, this happened to me on my first attempt of making these sabudana patties! It was such a shame, and unfortunately none of it was salvageable.
There are a couple of reasons why your cutlet could have exploded. Here’s a list of potential causes:
- You didn’t soak your tapioca pearls long enough
- You didn’t use enough potato in your mix.
- You didn’t let your potatoes completely cool down before forming the patties.
- The oil wasn’t hot enough.
Tips to Perfect This Sabudana Aloo Tikki
While Sabudana Tikki recipe is a pretty straightforward snack to make, as mentioned above they do pose some challenges when it comes to the frying part! Here are some tips and tricks for a fool proof recipe and experience preparing these little crispy guys!
- Soak your sabudana until it is soft enough that when you pinch it, it smashes completely.
- If you’re not sure about how the exact number of potatoes you need to prepare your patties, to be safe boil one or two extra potatoes!
- Make one test patty to ensure that it’s staying in tact and won’t explode!
- Make sure the oil is at a high temperature, just around 200 Celsius. If you’re unsure, look for a slight hint of smoke. If you cook your sabudana cutlets at too low of a temperature, then the cutlets will absorb extra oil and will take longer to cook.
Tools Needed
- Mixing bowl
- Strainer
- Large bowl
- Instant pot
- Cutting board
- Paring knife
- Nonstick pan
- Slotted spoon
- Paper towels
Ingredients for This Crispy Sabudana Cutlet Recipe
For all measurements with the full ingredient list, make sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD, so you can save this recipe for later! This ingredient list isn’t very long, so this is a simple recipe to make for any occasion!
- Sabudana/tapioca pearls
- Potatoes: We’ll need boiled potatoes.
- Green chilies
- Cilantro
- Roasted peanuts
- Sendha namak/rock salt (if fasting for vrat)
- Ghee or peanut oil (to fry)
How to Make Sabudana Tikki
Here are the steps of how to make the best Aloo Sabudana Tikki you’ve ever had! You’ll want to make this recipe over and over again!
- Rinse sabudana with cold running water and add enough water in a bowl to cover. Let rest for at least 3 hours, or up to a max of 5-6 hours.
- Drain the sabudana completely using a sieve or strainer and leave the sago pearls in the sieve, over a large bowl to allow it to drain completely about 1-2 hours.
- In the meanwhile, cook potatoes in an Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker or boil in a pot until tender. Full instructions can be found here.
- Peel the potatoes and let them cool completely. In a large bowl, add the sabudana, potatoes and the rest of the ingredients except oil. Mix well to combine and season to taste.
- To deep fry, heat 3-4 cm of oil in a pan on medium heat. In the meanwhile, take golf ball sized portions and roll between the palm of your hands to create a portion. Gently flatten each portion to a 1/2 cm thin disk while smoothing out the edges.
- Using a slotted spoon, gently place the flat patties or tikkis to the hot oil. Cook on each side for 2-5 minutes or until golden brown. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan as this may cause the oil temperature to drop.
- Once cooked, drain excess oil and transfer each tikki using a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. Absorb and excess oil and serve right away with your favorite sauce.
Other Snack Recipes!
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!
Recipe by Anadi Misra
Crispy, golden Sabudana Aloo Tikki made with tapioca and potatoes. This easy Indian cutlet recipe is simple, healthy, and perfect for lunch or dinner. A crowd-pleasing snack you will love.
Deep-fried
Rate this recipe ✦
10 min
Prep
10 min
Cook
6 hr
Rest
6 hr 20 min
Total
6
tikkis
easy
Level
Ingredients
Ingredients
Tap any quantity to scale
- (31 g) sabudana/tapioca pearlsShop →
- small potatoes · make your own
- green chilies
- (3 g) cilantro(chopped)
- (8 g) roasted peanuts(roughly chopped)Shop →
- sendha namak(to taste)Shop →
- ghee (to fry) · make your ownShop →
Instructions
- 1
Rinse sabudana with cold running water and add enough water in a bowl to cover. Let rest for at least 3 hours, or up to a max of 5-6 hours.
Rinse sabudana with cold running water and add enough water in a bowl to cover. Let rest for at least 3 hours, or up to a max of 5-6 hours.
- 2
Drain the sabudana completely using a sieve and leave the tapioca in the sieve, over a large bowl to allow it to drain completely about 1-2 hours.
Drain the sabudana completely using a sieve and leave the tapioca in the sieve, over a large bowl to allow it to drain completely about 1-2 hours.
- 3
In the meanwhile, cook the potatoes in an Instant Pot / pressure cooker, or boil in a pot until tender — full instructions here.
In the meanwhile, cook the potatoes in an Instant Pot / pressure cooker, or boil in a pot until tender — full instructions here.
- 4
Peel the potatoes and let it cool completely. In a large bowl, add the sabudana, potatoes and the rest of the ingredients except oil. Mix well to combine and season to taste.
Peel the potatoes and let it cool completely. In a large bowl, add the sabudana, potatoes and the rest of the ingredients except oil. Mix well to combine and season to taste.
- 5
To deep fry, heat 3-4 cm of oil in a pan on medium heat. In the meanwhile, take golf ball sized portions and roll between the palm of your hands to create a portion. Gently flatten each portion to a 1/2 cm thin disk while smoothing out the edges.
To deep fry, heat 3-4 cm of oil in a pan on medium heat. In the meanwhile, take golf ball sized portions and roll between the palm of your hands to create a portion. Gently flatten each portion to a 1/2 cm thin disk while smoothing out the edges.
- 6
Using a slotted spoon, gently place each disk or tikki to the hot oil. Cook on each side for 2-5 minutes or until golden brown. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan as this may cause the oil temperature to drop.
Using a slotted spoon, gently place each disk or tikki to the hot oil. Cook on each side for 2-5 minutes or until golden brown. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan as this may cause the oil temperature to drop.
- 7
Once cooked, drain excess oil and transfer each tikki using a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. Absorb any excess oil and serve right away with your favorite sauce.
Once cooked, drain excess oil and transfer each tikki using a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. Absorb any excess oil and serve right away with your favorite sauce.
Nutrition per tikki
227
Calories
2g
Protein
16g
Carbs
18g
Fat
1g
Fiber
1g
Sugar
4mg
Sodium
Did you make this recipe? Tag @cooking.with.anadi on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingwithanadi
Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen
Recipe history
- April 16, 2026 — Reworked and refreshed for the 2026 relaunch — new photography, restructured and standardized ingredients & instructions.
Filed under
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