Poppadom is a spicy wafer also known as Papad. Papads are usually served as a side dish in Indian dishes, but they are also eaten as a snack with sliced vegetables or chutney. Poppadom gives a delicious and crunchy taste to the dish, enjoyed warm or cold. Making poppadoms at home can save time and poppadoms can be stored for several months. You can make this snack with just a little preparation and knowing how.
Ingredients
- 2 cups chickpeas, garbanzo beans, or Urad flour
- 1 tsp. (5 ml) pepper powder
- 1 tsp. (5 ml) cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp. (2.5 ml) salt
- 1 clove of garlic chopped
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 tsp. (5 ml) cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp. vegetable oil or ghee
For Frying: 2 cups oil
Step
Method 1 of 4: Preparing the Poppadom Dough
Step 1. Put flour, ground pepper, cumin and salt in a bowl
Add 2 cups flour, 1 tsp ground pepper, 1 tsp. ground cumin, and tsp salt in a large bowl. While Urad flour is the traditional flour used to make poppadoms, it can be hard to find if you're unlucky in the local Indian or Asian markets. If you can't find it, you can use garbanzo beans or chickpea flour.
Step 2. Add 1 minced garlic and mix well
Use a wooden spoon to stir the ingredients until well combined. Make sure the garlic is well mixed in the mixture. After you've kneaded the dough for 30 seconds to a minute, make a well in the top of the dough to add the water.
Step 3. Pour water into it
Now, pour cup of water into the basin you made.
Step 4. Stir the ingredients evenly until it becomes a dry and dense dough
First of all, you should use a wooden spoon to stir the ingredients if desired. When the dough is more formed, you can start using your hands. Alternatively, you can directly use your hands to knead the dough with the water.
Step 5. Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes or until smooth
Now, use your hands to knead the dough in a bowl until you have a workable dough and all the ingredients are well combined. The water should help keep things together.
Step 6. Separate the dough the size of walnuts one by one and then roll out the dough
Use a grinder to grind each small dough back and forth until it is nice and thin. You'll want to sprinkle a little flour and surface oil for grinding for best results, so the poppadoms are easier to cook. Many poppadom recipes form each piece of dough into a circle, using a mold or an old CD or DVD to get the shape you want, although it doesn't really matter as the shape won't stay that way.
You can also apply a little extra oil or ghee to each dough to make it easier to cook
Step 7. Sprinkle each thin circle with the cayenne pepper
This will make the finished poppadom spicier. You can flip the poppadoms and sprinkle both sides with cayenne pepper if you want a fuller flavour.
Method 2 of 4: Baking and Frying Poppadoms
Step 1. Transfer the thin batter to 2 large pans
Now that you are ready to bake the poppadoms, all you have to do is transfer them to a foil-lined baking sheet. You can also coat them with oil to prevent the poppadoms from sticking. Make sure you leave the poppadoms with enough space so they don't stick together, as they will bloom a little when washed.
You may need to use several pans in the oven, you bake your poppadoms in batches if you only have one pan
Step 2. Bake the dough in the oven for 15 to 25 minutes at 300ºF (150ºC) or until the wafers are crispy and dry
Keep an eye on the dough in the oven for the first 10 minutes to make sure the poppadoms don't burn. The final product will be crunchy and dry, but will be so dry that it breaks easily to the touch.
Step 3. Allow the poppadoms to cool completely
Set aside and allow to cool completely before frying.
If you are not ready to serve the poppadoms, once they have cooled you can store them in an airtight container
Step 4. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat
Now you have to heat 1/2 tsp. (2.5 ml) oil in a frying pan and wait until the oil is slightly bubbly.
If you don't want to fry the poppadoms you prefer the grilled version that is crispy and dry, you don't have to fry them. But the fried poppadoms have a genuine delicious taste that can make you addicted
Step 5. Dip 1 or 2 poppadoms in the oil and flip when the edges start to curl
Use tongs to flip the poppadom over once the first side is cooked.
Step 6. Remove the poppadoms before they brown
This is to make sure you don't fry them too long.
Step 7. Place your homemade poppadoms on a paper towel while you fry the remaining batter
Place the fried poppadoms on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil while frying the remaining batter.
Step 8. Serve
Serve this delicious snack on its own or with your favorite dish. You can enjoy it with hummus, chutney, baba ganoush or your favorite Indian meal.
Method 3 of 4: Fried Poppadoms
Step 1. Heat 2 cups of oil in a deep frying pan
Add the hot oil until it foams. You are ready to fry the poppadoms now.
Step 2. Put a piece of dough in the oil and let it fry for 2 minutes
Now take the raw poppadom dough that you have made and put them in the oil one by one. Be careful while frying. Of course, you can fry more than one poppadom at a time if you're getting impatient, but this can cause problems because they can stick together, or you could lose track of them getting a bit charred. The poppadom will start to "pop" out a bit, and will have a more airy texture.
Step 3. Flip and fry the other side for about 30 seconds
Once one side is fried, use a slotted spoon to flip it over so the other side is fried. This side doesn't need to be cooked as long as the first, but you should watch that both sides fry evenly and fry the second side longer or less if needed. The end result should be golden brown.
Step 4. Remove the poppadoms from the oil with a slotted spoon
Carefully use a slotted spoon to remove the poppadoms from the oil. You can hold it over the oil for a few seconds to allow excess oil to drain from the spoon hole back into the pan.
Step 5. Place the poppadoms on a plate lined with thick paper towels
Thick tissue will absorb the excess oil. You can even flip the poppadom after a minute, so that the oil from both sides is absorbed a little.
Step 6. Fry all the poppadoms
Now, continue to fry the poppadoms until they are cooked to your liking. You can cover the plate with a thick paper towel to absorb more of the oil.
Step 7. Serve
Enjoy this snack on its own, with your favorite Indian dishes, or even eat it like chips and dip into chutney.
Method 4 of 4: Sun Baked Poppadoms
Step 1. Place the round dough on the baking sheet
Take the dough you have made and prepare it to bake in the sun. Make sure there's enough space between the circles so they have enough room so they don't touch each other. You need to use at least 2 pans for this.
Step 2. Place the pan in direct sunlight until the balls dry completely, for 24-48 hours
To do this, of course, you need to find a warm place with direct sunlight, with an ideal temperature of at least 80-85ºF (25-30ºC), or warmer. Warmer, of course, poppadoms will bake faster.
Alternatively, you can dry the poppadoms in the oven on the lowest setting, for about 4-6 hours
Step 3. Save the final result
If you're not ready to serve them, you can store the poppadoms in an airtight container as soon as possible. Poppadoms can be stored for up to 6 months.
Step 4. Serve
If you want to serve poppadoms, eat them straight, or heat them directly on the fire, or place them on a gas grill until they are lightly toasted. You can also heat them in your broiler (high-temperature grill), on a high heat setting, until the poppadoms are slightly toasted.
Tips
- Traditional poppadoms are spicy, but you can make a plain one by not using cayenne pepper in this recipe.
- The taste of the poppadoms in this recipe can be changed slightly with the addition of spices, peppercorns, or chilies. You can also substitute other beans or cereal flour for chickpea flour for a different texture.
