Masala Papad

Masala papad is an easily prepared Indian snack. It uses papad, a crisp, round wafer made of urad dal (black gram dal), as the main ingredient. The papads come in a variety of flavors. The wet papadsare sun-dried and preserved for months or even a year. You can fry or roast these dried papads whenever needed. This is served as a side dish for lunch or as a starter along with green chutney.

Masala papad preparation is very easy. The ingredients are simple and readily available. They are a perfect snack that you can prepare and enjoy in a few minutes. You will certainly relish the combination of various vegetables and spices. They are crunchy, delicious, light and appetizing. While the masala papads are made of the standard combo of vegetables and chili powder, you can use your creativity and add vegetables like bell pepper, cucumber, and boiled sweet corn kernels, as well as other spice powders.

Health Benefits

1. Dark gram is rich in proteins and minerals like calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium that aid in the development of solid bones.
2. If you are worried about eating fried food, then this recipe works great with roasted papad instead.

Ingredients

(1 cup =255 ml)

cooking oil

urad dal papads: 4

chopped onions: 1 medium

tomatoes, finely chopped: 2 medium

chili powder: 1 tsp

salt

lemon wedges

cilantro leaves – chopped: 4 tsp

fine sev (an Indian snack consisting of long, thin strands of gram flour, deep-fried and spiced): 1 cup

How To Make Masala Papad

1. Heat the oil in a pan for frying.
2. Fry the papad, one at a time, for 2-3 seconds or until crisp.
3. Remove the papad from the oil with tongs and place on a paper towel to remove the excess oil.
4. Place the papad on a plate and top with finely chopped onion and tomato.
5. Sprinkle with chili powder and salt.
6. Squeeze the lime or lemon on top of papad.
7. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
8. Add the sev on top of the papad.
9. Serve masala papad immediately or else they turn moist.

Tip: If you have leftover toppings that you prepared for the snack and ran out of papads, you can store them in Vaya Tyffyn boxes. You can transfer them to this steel tiffin box and store overnight in the fridge. These tiffin boxes will keep your vegetables and spice mix fresh for use the next day.

Trivia

1. If you are in Kerala, you call it a papad a pappadam. If you are in Tamil Nadu, you call it an appalam. If you are in North India, you may call it a papad.
2. Papad is often associated with the empowerment of women in India. Many individual and
   organized businesses run by women produce papad, pickles, and other snacks.