Papdi (papri) Chaat

My kind of food and there are so many kinds of chaat. Chaat can be found on roadside food carts all over India. Chaat is basically different varieties of snacks served with tamarind or hari (cilantro) chutney or with hot spice mix. The definition of chaat literally is “to taste”.

This particular chaat, Papdi Chaat, is made of crispy wafers garnished with a delicious combination of potatoes, chickpeas, seasoned yogurt, and flavorful spices and chutneys.

Recipe serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
Papdi:

• 1 cup all purpose flour (maida or plain flour)
• 1/4 cup semolina flour (sooji)
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoon lukewarm water

To garnish the papdi:

• Boiled potato, peeled and sliced into thin rounds (about the thickness of a quarter or 1/16″)
• Boiled or canned chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
• Plain yogurt
• Salt
• Roasted cumin seed powder (bhuna jeera)
• Red chili powder
• Hari cilantro chutney (recipe available on my site)
• Tamarind chutney (recipe available on my site)

Method
Papdi:

1. In a bowl mix flour, sooji, salt and oil.
2. Add the water a little at a time while kneading until it forms a firm dough
3. Cover the dough and set aside for 15 minutes or more.
4. Divide the dough into about 3 equal parts.
5. Take one section of the dough and roll it into 8″ diameter, fairly thin about thickness of dime. Do the same with the remaining 2 parts.
6. Prick firmly the rolled dough about 1/4 inch apart with a fork, (this is done so the papdi do not puff while frying) and cut them in about 1 1/2″ squares with a sharp knife.
7. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat.
8. The frying pan should have at least 1 1/2 inch of oil. To check if the oil is ready, just put a small piece of dough in the oil. The dough should sizzle right away but come up to the surface slowly. If the dough rises immediately, let the oil cool slightly and try again.
9. Make sure to place just enough papdi to cover top of the oil in the frying pan in a single layer. Don’t overcrowd.  Fry the papdi until both sides are a light golden-brown.
10. Remove cooked papdi with a slotted or mesh spoon and transfer to a plate.
11. Continue cooking the remaining papdi in batches until all the dough is gone.
12. After the papdi cool to room temperature they should be crisp.
13. Papdi can be stored in airtight container for 1 month.

Note:
If you want to make round papdi, divide the dough in about 30 equal parts and roll them individually into 2 1/2 inch rounds. Prick with a fork in about 4 to 5 places

Garnish

1. Mash the chickpeas lightly with the back of a fork and mix with hari (cilantro) chutney to your taste. Keep aside.
2. Put the yogurt into a bowl and mix with a fork or whisk until very smooth. Use some milk as needed to make a consistency similar to pancake batter. Add salt to taste. Keep aside.
3. Arrange the papdi on a large plate.
4. Place a slice of potato on top of each papdi (does not need to be the exact size).
5. Now place half a teaspoon of the chickpea mixture over each potato.
6. Drizzle yogurt over each papdi.
7. Sprinkle roasted cumin powder, and red chili to your taste.
8. Finish the papdi chat by drizzling with tamarind chutney.

Enjoy!