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Kerala pappadam
Plain lentil crisps
പപ്പടം: small, plain urad-dal pappadams that balloon in hot coconut oil, crushed over rice at the Onam sadya (plus half a day drying)
No sadya on a banana leaf in Thrissur or Kottayam is complete without a pappadam, and nobody eats it whole: it gets crushed over rice with parippu (dal) and ghee, or with payasam at the end of the meal. The Kerala kind is small, about the size of a saucer, and plain. There is no pepper or cumin, just urad dal, salt and pappada karam (papad khar), so the flavour is clean and lentilly. It is dried only briefly, which keeps it pliable, and when it hits hot coconut oil it puffs into a blistered, bubbly dome that shatters at a touch. That is the opposite of the big, peppery north Indian urad papad, which is sun-dried hard and roasted over a flame. Pappadam makers in Kerala are a whole craft community, but a home batch is very doable. Chef's tip: fry in coconut oil at about 180 °C and press the pappadam down for a second with a slotted spoon; it should puff in under 5 seconds and stay pale gold.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
- 7 oz gluten-free urad dal flourfinely ground and sifted
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ cup waterlukewarm
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 3 tbsp rice flourfor dusting
To fry
- 1 ¼ cups coconut oilfor frying
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Dissolve 1 tsp papad khar (pappada karam) and ¾ tsp salt in the lukewarm ½ cup water.
2 minStep 2: Put 7 oz gluten-free urad dal flour in a bowl and add the water gradually, pressing it into a firm dough. Rub in 1 tsp coconut oil.
5 minStep 3: Pound the dough with a pestle or a rolling pin for 10 minutes, folding it every minute, until it is very smooth, elastic and slightly shiny. This is what makes pappadam puff into a dome.
10 minStep 4: Roll the dough into a thin log and cut it into 30 pieces of about 10 g. Keep them under a damp cloth.
5 minStep 5: Dust the board with 3 tbsp rice flour and roll each piece into a thin, even 9–10 cm circle. Thin edges and a thick centre puff unevenly, so keep the pressure even.
40 minStep 6: Spread the pappadams on a cloth in a shaded, airy spot for 3–6 hours, turning once, until the surface is dry to the touch but they still bend without cracking. Common mistake: drying them hard in full sun like north Indian papad; Kerala pappadam then puffs poorly and tastes raw.
5 minStep 7: Store in an airtight tin, dusted with a little rice flour so they don't stick, for up to 2 months.
Step 8: To serve, heat 1 ¼ cups coconut oil in a kadai over a medium-high heat until a test pappadam rises at once (about 350°F). Fry one at a time for 3–5 seconds, pressing it gently, until puffed into a blistered dome and pale gold. Drain on its edge on paper.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 95 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kerala pappadam take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 75 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
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