Masala Papad Recipe

Masala papad is a vegan, gluten-free and nut-free Indian snack. It gets ready in less than 15 mins and makes a great addition to the party menu or to nibble just before the main meal.

Ingredients

• Papad: I use plain urad dal papad. Feel free to use black pepper papad or cumin papad.
• Vegetables: onion, tomato, fresh coriander and lemon.
• Spices and Oil: roasted cumin powder, chat masala, chilli powder and salt to season the masala papad. Oil to deep fry papad.

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Heat the oil in a kadai/wok.

Once the oil is hot, fry the papad for a couple of seconds until it puffs up and rises on top.

Turn it over and fry the other side for a few seconds. 

Take it out and place it on a kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil. 

Follow the same process to fry the rest of the papads.

In a bowl, place the onion, tomato, salt, cumin powder, chilli powder and coriander leaves.

Mix well with a spoon until well combined. 

Arrange the papads in individual plates. Place the prepared onion tomato mixture on the papad and spread it all over. 

Sprinkle the chaat masala and a dash of lemon juice on each papad. 

Variations and Substitutions

Try adding grated carrot, deseeded and finely chopped cucumber for added flavour and nutrition to masala papad recipe. It’s a great way to increase the vegetable intake of kids.

Finely chopped green chilli peppers can be substituted for red chilli powder. 

Black pepper papads could be used instead of plain. However, ensure they are urad dal papads.

Tips and tricks

Serve masala papads immediately. Allowing it to sit for a longer time would turn the papad soggy due to moisture from the vegetables. 

Deseed tomatoes to keep the onion-tomato mixture fresh for a longer time.

Do not add salt to the onion-tomato mixture if you are planning to make it ahead of time. Because it causes the onion to release moisture and lose its crunchiness. 
To retain the freshness of vegetables, I would rather suggest storing the chopped vegetables separately in the fridge until ready to serve. Add salt and spices just before assembling the masala papad.

Storage

Store the fried poppadums in an airtight container for up to a week. 

Keep the chopped vegetables separately in the fridge until ready to assemble the masala papad.

What are poppadums?

Papads are crispy thin disc-shaped wafers made of lentil flour dough. The dough is shaped into thin circles and sun-dried. The dried papads are fragile and break easily.

They are stored in an air-tight container for longer shelf life. It is known by different names across India - poppadoms, appalam, papadam and happala.

Papads are made with different seasoning and lentil flours. They are available in plain and different flavours in Indian grocery stores. They are even available in a few UK local supermarkets as well.  

Poppadom has been an integral part of a meal in most Indian households. It is an absolute favourite to have when you are not in the mood to cook an elaborate meal. Be it a simple dal rasam-rice, sambar-rice, dal-rice or a comforting dal khichdi.

On lazy days papad certainly comes in handy to serve beside plain rice with pickles. Perhaps it is not only the most preferred side with a simple meal, but an elaborate South Indian thali is also incomplete without appalam.

How to make Poppadoms?

Poppadoms are either deep-fried, roasted over an open flame, air fried or cooked in a microwave depending on personal preference. 

How to deep fry poppadoms?

1. Heat the oil in a kadai/wok, once the oil is hot, gently drop a small piece of papad in the oil. If the papad expands and rises back to the top immediately then the oil is at the right temperature to start with.
2. Fry the papads one at a time ensuring it is completely submerged in the oil. Press gently with a metal tong to ensure every corner is properly fried.
3. Carefully turn it over and fry the other side for a further few seconds.
4. Remove and place the fried poppadums on a kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil.

Each poppadom literally takes just less than 10 seconds to cook so keep an eye and remove them when they puff up and cook evenly on both sides.

Protips

1. Use large kadai as the papad needs sufficient room to expand when fried. Alternatively, break each poppadom into half or quarter and fry it if you are using a small kadai and do not want to use more oil.
2. Ensure to remove the papad before it starts to brown as it could burn pretty quickly.

How to cook papad in a microwave?

Place one poppadum in the microwave and cook it on high for 20-30 seconds. Turn over the poppadum and continue cooking for further 20-30 seconds. Viola.. oil-free, healthy and crispy papads are ready! The cooking time may vary depending on the power of the microwave.

Protip

A few varieties of papads may not cook properly in the microwave as they could be too dry or contain less moisture. In such a case, try applying a little oil on both sides of the poppadums with a brush and then pop them in the microwave to cook.

Serving Suggestions

Masala papad is a great starter to serve guests before the main meal. The best way is to have everything ready on the table and let your guest assemble them.

Enjoy it as an evening snack with a cup of rose milk tea, mint tea, hibiscus tea, or my homemade hot chocolate.