Potato Pappadums

The pappadum is a thin Indian wafer, sometimes described as a cracker or flatbread. An important part of Indian cuisine, it is typically it is made from lentil, chickpea, black gram or rice flour. Salt and peanut oil are added to make a dough, which can be flavored with seasonings such as chili, cumin, garlic or black pepper. Sometimes baking soda is also added. The dough is shaped into a thin, round flat bread and then dried (traditionally in the sun) and can be cooked by deep-frying, roasting over an open flame, toasting, or microwaving, depending on the desired texture.

Papadums are typically served as an accompaniment to a meal in India. The idea is that as you are eating your meal, you take bites of pappadum to add crunch and spice to every single bite. It is also eaten as an appetizer/starter or a snack and can be eaten with various toppings such as chopped onions, chutney or other dips and condiments. Restaurants in the U.S. often bring these out pre-meal to dip into chutneys. In certain parts of India, raw papadums (dried but unroasted) are used in curries and vegetable preparations. Papadums are made in different sizes. Smaller ones can be eaten like a snack chip and the larger ones can be used to make wraps.

FMM: I had crisp wafers at an Indian restaurant buffet that were pink in color. I'm not sure if these were pappadums, but they fit the description. An Indian in our group said to eat them with Sambhar, a spicy lentil broth that had a few small vegetables in it that was kept hot in a pot. It was delicious.

1 pound of potatoes
Pinch of baking powder
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. chili powder or coarse ground black pepper
Lukewarm water
Safflower oil for deep-frying

Boil the potatoes, then peel and mash them. Add the baking powder, sea salt and chili powder or coarse ground black pepper. Mix together to form a dough, adding lukewarm water as necessary. Divide the dough into 10 portions.

Make a thin round of each portion, by hand or by pressing it against an oiled flat surface, then spread rounds on a sheet of waxed paper to dry either in the sun or the warmest place in the house. When the rounds are completely dry on both sides, store in an airtight container until ready to use.

To Cook: You want to hit them with high heat for a very brief time, the best method is to deep fry them. Heat 1 1/2 inches of safflower oil in a wok or deep frying pan (it's hot enough when you can drop a small piece of pappadum in and it sizzles immediately). Cook one pappadum at a time, for 5-10 seconds. Flip and repeat for another few seconds. Then remove, shaking off the excess oil, and set aside on paper towels.

Serve hot and crispy with dahl (cooked lentils), soup, a yogurt dip (Raita) or Spicy Lentil Dip.