Rajasthani Papad Ki Sabji Curry Recipe

Today we are going to cook Papad ki sabji or papaddum curry, which is a typical Rajasthani recipe.

Everyone knows papads or pappadoms, as they are often called. These small flatbreads are served as appetizers in Indian restaurants. In India, like pickles, papads are prepared in summer when the warm climate allows drying in the sun, which guarantees better preservation.

When I was a child, grandma used to prepare papads at our country house. All the women in the neighborhood were invited to come and help prepare the papads. Of course, grandma would do the same service in turn when others made their papads.

White lentils (urad dal) were soaked and then mixed into a tight, hard dough. The next day, the semi-fermented dough was crushed under giant pestles to make it softer. Then, we cut this dough and rolled the papads that were put to dry in the sun.

For the past few years, Lijjat, a social cooperative, has been the largest producer of papads. The cooperative started by supplying papad dough to needy women, who rolled them on behalf of the cooperative. It soon expanded and now has factories and sophisticated equipment for making papad.

With the same objective of making women economically independent, the cooperative has diversified its range of offerings to include other products like soap and spice mixes. For this recipe you can use cooked or raw papads. The taste will be different but it works well both ways. I prefer cooked on a flame or on the barbecue for the smoky flavors it brings to the curry.

Rajasthan is a state in the North West of India. It is known for its colorful landscapes and as its name suggests has many former kings and palaces everywhere! Geographically speaking, the Thar Desert is in Rajasthan which means that there are very few vegetables growing there.

Rajasthani cuisine is full of inventive recipes made from products like seeds, which are dried and used as vegetables during the dry season and replace fresh vegetables. Papad ki sabzi is a good example. Papad ki sabzi means curry made with papad. It is a kind of traditional curry. Here is a simple but amazing recipe.

Cooking papads can be a bit tricky because they tend to bend in all directions during cooking. You need a spatula and tongs to tame them. Papads can be cooked in a pan with a little oil, on a gas flame, on a barbecue, or even in the microwave. In my supermarket, I find papads sold already cooked.

Ingredients

• 10 papads (cooked or not)
• 2 tbsp oil
• A pinch of asafoetida (optional)
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 cm ginger, chopped
• ½ tsp coriander seed powder
• ½ tsp chili or paprika powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• Salt (very little because papads are already salty)
• 1 cup (250ml) plain yogurt, at room temperature, whisked
• A few sprigs of coriander leaves for decoration, chopped

Method

1. Break the papad into more or less coarse pieces.
2. Heat the oil and add the asafoetida if using, and the cumin seeds. After a few seconds add the onion, garlic and ginger and brown. Add the coriander, turmeric and chili powder with two tablespoons of water.
3. Gradually add the yogurt (you may need to add a little water). Add the papads and mix well. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Serve garnished with coriander leaves.