‘Time to devour’: Anushka Sharma seems to be a fan of sabudana vada; know the benefits

Anushka Sharma loves to try new dishes and cuisines and also, often, shares her food escapades and experiments on social media. It was no different recently when she devoured a preparation by chef Anahita Dhondy. In an Instagram story shared by the actor, she could be seen enjoying a plate of sabudana vada. “Such an amazing preparation by chef Anahita Dhondy on the sets of the millesupergrain ad shoot. This looks so so so good…time to devour,” Anushka captioned the post. Take a look.

No doubt the preparation looked amazing, but did you know that sabudana is also considered to be extremely healthy? As such, if you wish to incorporate it into your meal plan, here’s all that you may want to know about it.

What is sabudana?

Sago or sabudana is a type of starch that is extracted from the core of various tropical palm stems. A primary source of carbohydrates, it is also a “gluten-free” grain. “Those with gluten insensitivity or celiac disease can safely consume sago. Its nutritional composition mainly consists of starch i.e. carbohydrates with a very little amount of fat, protein, and fibre,” said Garima Goyal, a registered dietitian.

Anushka Sharma enjoys sabudana vada (Source: Anushka Sharma/Instagram Stories)

Why have sabudana?

Antioxidant-rich – Various plant foods contain phytochemicals, that are essential plant compounds with disease preventing properties. The phytonutrients present in sago are polyphenols, namely tannins and flavonoids that have high antioxidant capacity and help fight the free radicals in the body that are responsible for cellular damage. These free radicals are responsible for causing various types of chronic diseases such as cancer, heart ailments etc.

High in resistant starch – Sago is approximately 7-8 percent made up of resistant starch, which is a type of carbohydrate that our body cannot digest and passes undigested into the colon or large intestine. In the colon, the gut-friendly bacteria feed on them considering it a prebiotic and produce short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as butyrate, which possess various health promoting functions. These include preventing hypertension, improving digesting and decreasing appetite, thus aiding in weight loss. Also high levels of SCFAs is linked with improved insulin sensitivity, which further helps reduce the risk of development of type 2 diabetes.

May be heart-friendly – “Though more animal and human research is needed but there is a definite link between a diet high in amylose causing low blood cholesterol levels and improved blood sugar levels. Various mice trials have illustrated that sago-fed mice have lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, owing to the high amylose content of sago. Amylose is a carbohydrate containing long linear chains of glucose that need time to digest. Since the digestion is slower, the rate of rise in blood sugar levels on digestion is also slow,” she told indianexpress.com.

How much to have?

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According to Goyal, since it is equivalent to a cereal grain and a serving of roughly 25 grams provides 100 calories, one can have it in place of a serving of cereal. “However, don’t overdo the servings as it mainly has carbohydrates. So, include other grains and pulses as well to make the diet more balanced,” said Goyal.

Here’s a recipe from Goyal.

Sabudana vada

Ingredients

1/2 cup – Sabudana (small tapioca pearls)
2 – Large potatoes, boiled
1/4 cup – Peanuts, roasted and coarsely crushed
1 tsp – Sesame Seeds
1 – Green Chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1/2 tsp – Grated ginger
1 1/2 tbsp – Coriander leaves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp – Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp – Garam masala powder
1 tsp – Lemon juice
1 tsp – Sugar (optional)
Salt
Oil
1/3 cup Water (to soak sabudana)

Method

*Wash sabudana and soak them for 2 1/2 hours in 1/3 cup water.
*You will notice that the size of sabudana pearl increases in a couple of hours.
*Place them in a sieve, drain excess water and keep aside for 1 1/2 hours. This process will make them non-sticky.
*Peel and grate boiled potatoes in a large bowl.
*Add drained sabudana, coarsely crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, green chilli, ginger, coriander leaves, cumin seeds, garam masala powder, lemon juice, sugar and salt.
*Mix all ingredients well and make a soft dough like mixture.
*Divide it into 12 equal lemon size portions. Give them a round shape of ball and press a little between your palms and flatten like pattie. If mixture is sticky, then grease your palms with a small amount of oil.
*Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat for deep frying. When it is medium hot, slowly slide 3-4 patties in it. When top surface turns light brown, flip them and deep fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain prepared sago vada and transfer them to a plate. Deep fry the remaining vadas. Crispy sabudana vadas are ready; serve them hot with tamarind chutney, spicy green chutney and curd.

This is not the only time the PK actor has made us salivate with her culinary adventures. Earlier, she also shared a glimpse of enjoying puri and kala chana on Navratri Ashtami.

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Anushka Sharma had delectable puri (Source: Anushka Sharma/Instagram Stories)

Here are a few other pictures.

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Anushka Sharma had delectable chana (Source: Anushka Sharma/Instagram Stories)

Previously, she also shared a picture of her mother’s Maharashtrian-special puranpoli on Gudi Padwa. “My mom’s attempt at making Maharashtrian delicacies,” she shared on her Instagram Stories.