Papadam is a typical accompaniment to Indian dishes. And the crusty bread also tastes great as a snack between meals. We reveal a simple recipe and the best way to serve the bread.
Papadam is a light, crusty bread that is served with curry, dal and various dips in India. You can often find it under the spellings Poppadom or Poppadam. The dough for the thin flatbread is made from a few ingredients and then fried briefly in a pan. Traditionally, papadam is mixed with urd bean flour. However, you can only find this in a well-stocked specialist shop. Here we use chickpea flour as an alternative.
When choosing your ingredients, make sure they come from organic farming. In this way you avoid residues of chemical-synthetic pesticides on and in your food. This protects health, biodiversity and the environment. We can particularly recommend the organic seals from Demeter, Bioland and Naturland, as they follow stricter criteria than the EU organic seal.
Also, buy locally sourced products whenever possible. Indian dishes are usually cooked with exotic spices. Choose a locally grown version whenever possible, and only use imported spices occasionally.
Bake papadam yourself: This is how you succeed
Ingredients:
320 g chickpea flour
1 pinch(s) of salt
1 pinch(s) of pepper
1 pinch(s) cumin
1 clove(s) garlic
125 ml water
200 ml frying oil
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the chickpea flour, salt, pepper, and cumin.
Peel the garlic and chop it very finely. Mix the garlic into the flour as well.
Gradually add the water. This forms an evenly firm dough.
Form small balls about an inch in diameter.
Roll out the balls into very flat cakes.
Heat the frying oil in a frying pan.
Add the papadams one by one to the hot oil and fry them for about a minute on each side.
Tip: spread out a cloth that can get greasy on the work surface. Place an oven rack or wire rack on the kitchen towel. Then, after frying, place the papadams on the rack to drain.
Serve papadam: That goes with the bread
Serve the papadams as an accompaniment to a main course or as a snack between meals. These recipe suggestions go particularly well with the crispy flatbread:
- Cook a delicious vegetable curry with regional ingredients or the simple chickpea curry and serve with the papadam.
- The Palak Paneer is classic Indian: a curry recipe with spinach and cream cheese.
- Also try a dal as a main course. Tip: Alternatively, use chickpeas to create a Chana Dal.
- If you want it quick and easy, opt for plain curry rice with the papadam.
- Serve your papadam with dips as a snack between meals or as an appetizer. Dips with an exotic touch, such as the date dip, onion chutney or zucchini chutney, are particularly delicious.
You can store the fried papadams in an airtight box for a few days.
