If you follow my recipes, you must have seen this trend where I often post recipes that trigger nostalgia, mostly from my childhood. Today’s recipe is no different.
Indian food is so vast, but some basics are the same in every state. A papad or a pappadum is a thin, crisp snack from the Indian subcontinent, with hundreds of varieties. Papad can be with gram flour, tapioca, potatoes and many other varieties. Different spices are added to it to prepare various renditions of this versatile snack. It is very easily available across stores in India and a regular in Indian meals.
This papad curry is one of those veg recipes I have loved throughout my childhood. My mother used to whip it up not too often, which made me ecstatic every time she would present it at the lunch or dinner table. I really do not know what I liked the most, but I enjoyed the fried papad in its soft form, along with the basic spice curry. But every time I would get my hands on this curry, it would always give me a warm, fuzzy feeling. I found it extremely comforting.
This dish is very easy to prepare. There is nothing extra that is needed to make it, just the usual onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, chilies, and coriander. I also like to out some boiled potatoes as that’s how I remember it. I have used basic papad here. You can replace it with any papad of your choice.
So here goes the childhood favorite recipe. Add this to your collection of veg recipes. I hope you try it.
Preparation time – 10 minutes
Cook time – 20 minutes
Serves – 2-3
Ingredients
- 4 papads, deep fried in oil
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 medium onions, thinly diced
- 2 green chilies, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh ginger garlic paste
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
- 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
- 500 ml water
- 2 boiled potatoes, cut in cubes
- Chopped coriander leaves for garnish
- Salt to taste
Directions
- Heat oil in a kadhai. Deep fry four to five papads. Set aside for gravy.
- In another kadhai, heat some oil. Add the bay leaf, followed by the chopped onions.
- Saute the onions for about two minutes till they turn translucent. Add the slit green chilies to it.
- In order to add a beautiful brown color to the gravy and some sweetness, add the sugar at this point.
- Once the onions turn brown, add the fresh ginger garlic paste to it. Saute it till the raw aroma of the ginger and garlic disappears.
- Season the onion mix with salt, turmeric, cumin powder and black pepper powder. For best taste, make sure all these spices have been freshly ground.
- Finely chop the tomatoes and all at this point. The tomato will release its own juices which will add more flavor and texture to the gravy.
- Let the spices assimilate with the onions and tomatoes. Fry everything together in medium flame for about another minute till it all comes together. If the masala gets stuck to the bottom of the kadhai, add a dash of water so that it does not burn.
- Check when the tomato melts and completely harmonizes with the rest of the curry. At this point, crush the fried papads with your hand and add it to the gravy. Give it a gentle stir.
- It is at this time when you need to add the water, and cover and cook for another five minutes till you get your desired consistency. I like mine in a semi gravy.
- Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with plain rice, roti or pulao.
I hope you like this extremely simple and hearty meal. It is one of my most favorite veg recipes. If you want, you can add some garam masala to this as well. Do let me know if you try this.
