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Showing posts with label Papdi chaat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Papdi chaat. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Papdi Chat / Sev Puri ( Holi Special )

On the day of Holi, folks of all shapes, sizes and colors would come knocking on our door. As per tradition, they would apply the 'gulal' /'fagu' or dry color on the feet of the elders first and take the latter's blessings. People of their own age would be generously smeared on the cheeks while the kids or youngsters would not be spared even an inch.

This is one such recipe that is usually served to the guests on the day. Read on -








Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients - 

  • 12 papdis
  • 1/2 cup boiled and peeled potato
  • 1/2 small onion
  • 2-3 green chilis (optional..only if you like it hot)
  • 1/4 cup yogurt
  • 1/4 tsp red chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp chaat masala
  • 2 pinch roasted cumin-chili powder
  • 1/2 cup thin sev
  • chopped cilantro
  • black salt (as per taste)
  • salt to taste


For Sweet Chutney -

  • Lemon sized ball of tamarind
  • 4 tbsp jaggery
  • 1 1/2 inch grated ginger 
  • salt to taste


For the spicy 'Theekhi' chutney -

  • 1/2 cup cilnatro
  • 2-3 green chilis
  • a small piece of tamarind
  • 2 pinch cumin seeds
  • salt to taste



Preparation - Take all the ingredients for the spicy chutney in a blender jar and give a good buzz. Remove and keep it aside.

Soak the tamarind in 1/2 cup hot water for 15-20 mins. Mash and discard the solids. Take the extact in a saucepan, add the remaining ingredients for sweet chutney and boil for 6-7 mins. Remove from flame and keep aside till cool.

Crumble the potatoes lightly. Do not mash completely.

Final assembly -

Take 6 puris in each plate. Put some crumbled potato oven them and then add some yogurt. Drizzle with the sweet and spicy chutney.

Add some chaat masala, chili powder, roasted cumin chili powder and onions. 

Sprinkle sev generously all over. Finally add some more onions, chopped green chilis, chopped cilantro, yogurt, a little chutney and some black salt. Sprinkle a little bit of table salt if required.

Serve immediately.






Note - One can also add boiled chickpeas, yellow peas or even black gram dal. Add chopped tomato and cucumber to make it even more filling.

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Alu Papdi Chaat

During my initial years of engineering, our college functioned out of a leased premises. Other than a canteen that served bad meals but great tasting bread pakoras, there was nothing to munch on during the short breaks. And then, all of a sudden, this guy selling Papdi chaat perched himself near the gates at a predetermined time every day. Though he dished out a rather frugal version of the Papdi chaat that was sans any 'dahi' or chutney, it tasted awesome and was eagerly gobbled by the college students. His stuff would be sold out in less than an hour's time and he would count the money before treading home. With the chaat priced at just rupees ten per plate, he hardly made fortune. But he never thought of increasing the price or buying a bigger 'thela' so that he could sell more number of plates and make more money.

Then a year later, we shifted to a new campus and forgot all about this guy. But one day when I was looking into the ever burgeoning finances of our household, I was reminded of this poor soul after many years. How did his simplistic approach towards life fare in the face of rising inflation? How many plates did he still sell and is it enough to feed his family ? Is that guy covered by the financial inclusion plans that has been rolled out by the new government and if yes, how will it help him in the long run ? Can we trade our aspirational lifestyles in favor of something more simpler without being branded as social outcasts ?  Such questions kept hounding me for days and yet I was at a loss for any convincing answer.

Since this is a very minimalist recipe that can also be consumed on 'no onion no garlic' days, one can give more bite to it by adding some boiled chickpeas/yellow peas/kala channa, chopped cucumber and tomatoes/raw mangoes. Recipe here -






Preparation Time - 30 mins

For the Papdis
  • 2/3 cup maida/ all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup atta/ whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp semolina
  • 2-3 tbsp split gram dal ( I forgot to add this)
  • 2 pinch ajwain/ carom seeds 
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • salt to taste
  • oil for deep frying


For the chaat -

  • 10 papdis
  • 1 small potato (boiled, peeled and cubed)
  • 1/4 tsp red chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • black salt as per taste
  • a pinch of chaat masala
  • cilantro for garnishing



Preparation - Take the maida, atta, semolina, oil, carom seeds and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix well and then add water little by little to bring everything together into a smooth dough. Cover with a moist cloth and keep aside for 20 mins.

Knead the dough once again before dividing into 3-4 portions. Roll out each portion on a flat surface. Take a circular cookie cutter or even a sharp edged bottle lid/cap and cut out small circles. Using a fork, punch holes in the small circles to prevent them from puffing up during frying.

Heat sufficient oil in a wok. Add the papdis, a few at a time and fry them on a medium flame. Lower temperature will turn the papdis chewy while high heat will brown them too quickly leaving the insides under cooked. Adjust the flame accordingly. Remove and place them on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Allow them to cool down completely before storing in airtight containers. Stays good for 8-10 days.

For assembling the Alu Papdi Chaat -




















Layer 10 puris/papdis on a plate. Throw the cubes potatoes over them. Sprinkle chili powder, chaat masala, lemon juice, chopped cilantro and black salt. Mix in and consume immediately.

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