I don’t own an Air Fryer. So when visiting family this weekend I was happy to check out what the fuss was all about. Basically the idea is that you can cook any of your favorite fried foods by just blowing hot air around it. Hmmm. This post is all about fun with an air fryer! We used a Cosori air fryer which had a decent sized basket (helpful to make larger quantities in one shot). We tried three different Indian fritters: Sabudana Vadas, Pakoras, and Masala Vadas. These are all traditionally deep fried and absolutely delicious but a pain to make. So I was excited to see if we could make it an easier process.

A special shoutout to my brother-in-law, Vijay Vaidyanathan, for being brave enough to execute on the purchase despite the skepticism from the family. And a huge shoutout to my talented mother-in-law, Lalitha Krishnan, for embracing new technology and reworking the recipes to accommodate our low sodium diet!

Sabudana Vadas

Ingredients

• 1 cup Sabudana – rinsed, soaked and drained. Let sit overnight.
• 1 small boiled potato, mashed – use just enough to bind and shape the vadas 
• About 1/2 tsp chili powder (adjust to your taste)
• A pinch of hing (asafetida)
• 1 green chili, minced
• 1/2 cup ground peanuts (unsalted)
• a handful of cilantro, finely chopped

Method

• Mix all the ingredients. 
• Shape into small vadas or patties.
• Spray with oil and cook in air fryer at 360F for 10min. Check after the 10 min mark and add another 2-3 min till the vadas start to turn golden in color.

Pakoras

Ingredients

• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 1/2 potato, grated
• Handful of cilantro, finely chopped
• Hing, a pinch
• 1 inch ginger, minced
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp chili powder 
• 2 tbsp yogurt
• Equal parts rice flour and chickpea flour for binding – you will need to start with a small quantity and keep adding to get the right consistency
• Salt to taste (optional!)

Method

• Mix all ingredients and drop large spoonfuls of the batter into the air fryer basket.
• The batter should be thick like cookie dough.
• Spray with oil.
• Cook in air fryer at 350F for 10 minutes. Check at this point and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes till the pakoras are a beautiful golden brown color.

Masala vada

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Chana Dal, soaked in water for about 2 hours
• 1/4 cup Toor Dal, soaked in water for about 2 hours
• 2 tbsp semolina or 2 tbsp soaked, wet rice
• Red and green chili, chopped (quantities to taste)
• A pinch of Hing 
• Cilantro, finely chopped
• Curry leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 small onion, finely diced

Method

• Grind the dals and the rice (if using) with the chilies in a blender with as little water as possible.
• We are looking for a cookie dough consistency.
• Mix in all the other ingredients.
• Shape into little patties (about an inch wide).
• Spray with oil.
• Cook in the air fryer at 400F for 15 minutes. Check after 10 min – total time is 12-13 minutes.

The Verdict

Okay so this skeptic has been converted! I agree that the air fryer is a healthy alternative to the fried foods we all know and love. The downside is that the basket size does limit the quantities made in each batch. It certainly works for 1-2 people but for catering to a larger crowd, I still prefer the good old oven. Oh, but we had so much fun with an air fryer!