Papdi Chaat

It is so hard to focus on the laptop screen when your eyes turn dreamy. This is happening right now as I sit down to write down about Papdi Chaat. Yummm! These two magic words make me turn my eyes to heaven (maybe the gods will send down a plateful) and my tongue tingle with the lip-smacking goodness of this yummy snack. Chaat itself is a category of tangy Indian snack, and Papdi Chaat is one of the most popular snacks in this category. Chaat is a word in Hindi (India’s national language) meaning “to lick” or “to taste”, and honestly no other word than this literal verb could do better justice to this super-popular favorite snack of one-seventh of humanity (us Indians). Sold across all of India, every Indian family has their favorite Chaat street vendor – as a kid, I would get so excited every time my parents would begin contemplating a Chaat outing. Crunchy, tangy, zesty, hot, spicy, sweet – it is amazing that a bite of Chaat can pack so many flavors. Take a bite, and see if you can stop before you finish every last speck of morsel from your plate - no one I know has ever managed to! ;)

Papdi Chaat, as the name suggests, is made of tangy toppings on top of papdi – a round crispy wafer. The toppings consist of both Green Chutney and Sweet Tamarind chutney (Red Chutney), boiled potatoes, onions, cucumbers, spices, and yogurt.  It is hard to get this dish wrong – almost any combination tastes good. But to get a great taste, the right combination of toppings makes the difference. Eat it as soon as it is prepared, before the papdi becomes soggy and loses its crunchiness. I started with my mom’s recipe and experimented with different toppings too many times over the years to count, and the recipe below now ‘wow’s my family and my guests – I hope it will have the same effect on you :)

PAPDI CHAAT RECIPE / PAPRI CHAAT RECIPE

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

24 Crisp Papdis
2 medium-size Potatoes; boiled, peeled and diced
1 medium-size Cucumber; peeled and finely chopped
1 medium-size Onion; finely chopped
2-3 Green Chillies (such as Serrano), optional; de-stemmed & finely chopped
1 1/2 cups plain Yogurt; whisked till smooth and chilled
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Sugar
1/2 cup Green Chutney
1/2 cup Sweet Tamarind chutney
1 tsp Roasted Cumin Powder
1/2 tsp Black salt
1/2 tsp Chaat masala
1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder
3 tbsp chopped fresh Cilantro leaves
1/4 cup Gram Flour Vermicelli (Sev)

How to make Papadi Chaat

1. First set up all ingredients - Papdis, toppings and chutneys, all within easy reach.
2. Add salt(as per taste) and sugar to chilled yogurt. Mix well. Keep aside.
3. Arrange 6 papdis on each of the 4 serving plates.  Place some potatoes, onions and cucumbers on each papdi.
4. Drizzle a little Green Chutney & Sweet Tamarind chutney with a spoon over the toppings.
5. Sprinkle some black salt, cumin powder, chaat masala, red chilli powder & green chillies as per your taste.
6. Top it all up with yogurt. Again drizzle some more of the Green Chutney and Sweet Tamarind Chutney.
7. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves. Sprinkle Sev all over the papdis. Serve immediately.

TIPS:

1. Serve Papdi Chaat as soon as it is ready else the Papdis will get soggy.
2. Packets of Papdis & Sev are readily available in Indian grocery stores.