Take your regular papad to the next level. A quick and simple way to make masala papad with mangoes and cucumber. The papad can be fried or roasted
Do you quickly devour the papad appetizer at Indian restaurants even before the server has had the chance to put it on your table?
Well, then you are going to love this recipe and you might never look at papad the same way ever again!
It has been a long time since I have posted a recipe for an Indian dish. Indian food is part of my daily life! I love the spices, the flavors and all the variety that it is known for.
“Indian food is great tasting and good for the soul.” Every day, I climb to my rooftop just so I can shout that phrase on top of my lungs. People walking below just stare at me and think of me as the crazy lady.
They, however, nod in agreement.
Cooking Indian food comes easy to me. I don’t have to think about it. All the methodologies and steps have been deeply ingrained into me since childhood. Not to brag, but, I am sure I can cook it with one hand tied behind my back!
So, I take the time to create some non-Indian dishes. This blog, in one way, is to force me to get out of my comfort zone. It has become a way for me to experiment with ingredients to see what will work and what will not work.
That hasn’t stopped me from bringing some Indian Spices to classic dishes from other cultures. Remember the Carmon seeds used in Fried Green Tomatillos? That recipe has been a huge success with my readers.
For this recipe, I am going to make something my mother used to make. This is in honor of her very recent birthday which was very special to both of us. This was the first time, in over ten years, that I had wished her a Happy Birthday. We had a falling out years ago and only recently reconnected.
That is a story for another day….
Every Sunday, during my formidable years, masala papad was a staple on the dinner table. For Sunday dinner, there would be masala papad, masala chips (masala french fries) and Mom would make her INFAMOUS samosas.
My mother’s samosas are just as legendary as her masala papad. The samosas are slightly larger than bite-size and the perfect equilateral triangles! If you took your protractor to it, you would notice that all the angles are exactly 60 degrees!
She made her samosas from the bottom up. She would never DREAM of using store bought samosa “shells”. Even now, when we are at Indian restaurants, both of us will let out a simultaneous loud grunt at the sight of the restaurant’s samosas. They are bulky, have no shape and drenched in oil.
Don’t worry, someday soon, I will get her to help guest write a blog post with her recipe for equilateral samosas. I am working on her slowly and I am sure I am wearing her down.
I want the whole world to see her perfect samosas.
This masala papad is her recipe with one variation. My recipe includes mango. Mango came about quite accidentally after I added it instead of onions.
Talk about happy accidents!
If you are worried about eating fried food, then, this recipe works great with roasted papad instead. Tastes just as good.
My favorite recipes from my mother are her masala papad and her samosas. What recipe of your mother do you remember the most?
You can serve this by itself or with (affiliate link) green chutney.
If you want to learn how to make papad from scratch, try this recipe version by Jain Rasoi or purchase (affiliate link) pre-made papad from amazon
I also love using a poblano and papaya chutney for this recipe
How to make Masala Papad
Masala Papad
Ingredients
- 3 Papad
- 1/2 cucumber
- 1/2 Red Onion Small
- 1/2 Mango Small, ripe
- 4-5 cherry tomatoes Slightly Firm
- 1/2 cup corn (you can use frozen, just make sure it is dry)
- 4 leaves cilantro
- 1/2 tsp Chaat masala
- 1 Thai Chili pepper
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Crushed black pepper Optional
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice For Garnish
- 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil to shallow fry the papad
Instructions
- Chop the cucumber, onion, chili and tomatoes finely. Make them as small as you can get them
- Chop the coriander leaves
- In your frying pan, add the oil and set the heat to medium
Frying the papad
- Place paper towel flat on a big plate
- Heat the oil on low heat for about 2 minutes
- Hold the papad with a pair of metal tongs and dip into the hot oil
- Pull out the papad immediately. Don't let it brown
- Place the fried papad on the plate and let the napkin soak up the oil
- Allow the papad to cool
- Fry the remaining papads in the same way.
Assembling the masala papad
- In a mixing bowl, bring all the other ingredients together, except the lemon
- Fill the top of the fried papad with this mixture and squeeze lemon juice on top.
- Serve immediately because it will get soggy
I would love to start my day out with this!
Thank you, Tally
I love these posts It’s nice to see how much was accomplished in a year in terms of favorite recipes, so much goodness! Happy New Year 2014!
Thank you so much. I am so glad that you liked it. I wish you a prosperous new year too!!
This is a great recipe. I will always remember my mother’s apple cream pie. Tried to recreate it in my kitchen and never succeeded. Your pictures look great on a retina display
Great comment, Anita. Now, suddenly, I have a craving for your mother’s Apple Cream Pie! When you have perfected the recipe, be sure to share it with us.
Thanks for visiting my site. This meal looks very healthy and delicious. I remembered my mom cooked a very delicious spaghetti. I even posted it my blog to share it to the world.
Thank you. It is always good to have mom’s recipes online. Hope you get to put more of your mom’s recipes on your blog
Our family has been watching Rick Stein’s cooking journey around India and the difference in cooking from one part of India to the next is quite different. I stay glued to the set. I would love this masala papad. I don’t cook Indian food without a lot of preparation, anticipation and rigorous checking that I’m doing it right. I need more practice, obviously.
Thank you so much Maureen. Indian food is not hard at all. You will get the hang of it after a couple of weeks. You will not regret it, trust me. Rick Steve’s entire series on India has been one of the most breathtaking series he has ever done. And it always makes me very hungry.