Recipes

Papdi and Khichu – Traditional Indian (Gujarati) appetizer

This is a traditional Gujarati dish that can be eaten at any time with meals or on its own. It’s very famous in Gujarat, India. People make them and store them for the entire year.

Papdis can be eaten in many ways such as a snack, called khichu, or sun-dried and eaten with lunch or dinner meals. Sun-dried Papdis need bright sunny weather to dry thoroughly.

Ingredients:

• Rice flour:1 kg
• Sabudana flour/tapioca pearl :1 full tablespoon
• Wheat flour (optional): 1 full tablespoon
• Salt as per taste
• Green/chopped chillies :1 full tablespoon
• Cumin: 1 full teaspoon
• Ajwain/carom seeds :1 full teaspoon
• Sanchar/black salt: 1 tablespoon
• Sesame seed :1 teaspoon
• Oil

(all ingredients are available in Indian grocery stores)

Ingredients:
- idli maker(steamer)
- Large pots -2

1. Take pot 1 almost filled with water, put it on the stove on medium flame and bring the water to a rolling boil.
2. Add some crushed/chopped green chilies, cumin, ajwain, Sanchar powder, and salt to taste in the water.
3. Take pot 2 for mixing the dry ingredients listed above including rice. Add remaining cumin, ajwain, sesame seed, and salt to taste.
4. Pour the boiling water from pot 1 into this pot, and mix well until it becomes a runny dough
5. Make sure to use a large spatula for mixing the dough while the water is still boiling. Water must be boiling so that the papdis turn out the way we want them to.
6. Now it’s time to pour the hot watery dough/mixture into the idli maker/steamer tray to steam it. Put it on high flame on the stove. Make sure to grease the steamer’s tray with oil before you pour the dough. Spread the dough in the steamer plate evenly and let it cook on high flame for 25-30 minutes.
7. Take out the dough from the steamer and knead with hand. Divide the dough into small balls and roll them into thin big rounds like pita on a large tray.
8. Make sure the papdis are thin and round because they shrink after drying. Place them in a large tray, cover them with wax paper/baking sheet and put the tray, preferably outside in the sun.
9. When completely dry, they are ready to use. They can be roasted on the stove in medium flame till they are crispy and crunchy and can be eaten with meals.
10. Re Step 7: You can apply a little oil to the steamed dough, roll it in any shape and eat it for breakfast ( Khichu) for breakfast or as a snack. Khichu can be stored in the fridge and eaten within a day or two.

Eat in any form you would like and Enjoy!