5 'papad' recipes to amp up your meals
Papad is a thin, crunchy, and disc-shaped sundried wafer that goes with every Indian meal. Also, called poppadum, appalams, or happalas, these crunchy delights can be both spiced or plain and are usually made with pulses like urad dal or moong dal and flour like ragi, millet, or rice. These five papad variants, adding that much-needed crunch to your meal, will not disappoint you.
Aloo ka papad
Popular across Delhi, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh, aloo ka papad is popularly served during Holi. To make this, mix together mashed potatoes, salt, oil, and red chili powder. Knead this mixture into dough until smooth and glossy. Take small portions of the dough and roll it as thin as possible onto an oil-greased plastic sheet. Dry in the sun and serve roasted with meals.
Garlic papad
Flavored with the pungent taste of garlic, this crunchy papad is popular across Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat. Mix together split black gram, chopped garlic, yellow chili powder, salt, red chili powder, and oil. Add water and knead into a stiff dough. Divide into small even-sized balls and roll out into very thin discs. Sun dry them and serve roasted or fried.
Sabudana papad
A great alternative to processed finger foods, sabudana papad flavored with some jeera will help in digestion. Wash and soak sabudana for four hours. Cook together sabudana, water, jeera, jeera powder, green chili, red chili powder, and salt. Drizzle lemon juice and spread it on parchment paper and sundry the papad for two-three days. Once dried, deep fry them and munch away.
Shakuli
Popular in Himachal Pradesh, shakuli is paper-thin fried papad that is super-light and a common accompaniment with an authentic Himachali thali. Add salt and water to refined flour and mix well to a thick consistency. Pour onto a plate, spread it out evenly, and steam the plate. Sundry the dough for three days and deep-fry in refined oil. Serve with any meal.
Rice papad
Add water and rice flour to a heavy bottom pan and mix well. Add salt and water, mix again and cook well while stirring continuously. Cook for five-seven minutes when the batter starts boiling. Add cumin and chili flakes and mix. Spread on a greased thick plastic sheet and sundry it for two-three days. Deep-fry before serving along with any meal.
