Indian Pappadam Crackers With Curried Cashew Dip Recipes

HOMEMADE POPPADOMS

Steps:

• Place the flour in a mixing bowl and stir in the salt andbicarbonate of soda. Slowly add the water, you may not need it all, to form into a soft dough. The dough should be slightly wet and a little difficult to work with.
• Place this dough on a clean surface and pound it with a pestle or something similar for about 10 minutes, flipping the dough from time to time. This s the authentic way of making the dough, which gets better results than simply kneading as the flour is pounded harder together.
• After about ten minutes of pounding, you are ready to knead the dough. Squish and squeeze it in your hands for a couple of minutes. If the dough is still quite wet, add a little flour until you have a very soft and drydough ball. You shouldn't need to add much. If you have a tortilla press, your job of flattening the papads will be much easier. Otherwise, you will need to roll your dough balls out until paper thin on a lightly greased surface. You will need a knife to help remove the papad fro the surface. For a neater appearance, you could also use a round cookie cutter to but I rarely do.
• Dry the flattened papads in the sun, flipping from time to time on wax paper. In the winter, I place them next to a wood fire or electric heater to dry. I have also dried them in a dehydrator.
• When dried out, the papads will still be a bit flexible and not so dry that they snap in two when bent.
• To cook, heat about 10cm/4inches of vegetable oil in a wok or large pan. The oil is hot enough when you can throw a small piece of papad in and it sizzles and floats to the top immediately.
• Cook one or two at a time. They should cook through in a matter of seconds so watch them carefully so that you don't burn them. Transfer the cooked poppadoms to papertowels using tongs and continue cooking the remaining poppadoms.
• These cooked poppadoms will keep in an air-tight container for at least three days.

PAPADAMS

Steps:

• Stir together the flour, pepper, ground cumin seed, and salt in a large bowl or in the food processor; mix thoroughly until the spices are evenly distributed.
• Add the garlic and mix well.
• Add enough of the water to form a dough that will hold together in a cohesive ball; if necessary, add up to 1 additional tablespoon water.
• The dough should be fairly stiff and dry; if it is too wet, it will not roll well.
• Knead the dough for about 5 minutes by hand or pulse for about 15 seconds in the food processor; the dough should be smooth.
• With your hands, shape the dough into a cylinder or log about 2 inches thick and 6 inches long.
• With a sharp knife, cut the cylinder into 1/2-inch thick slices.
• The next step uses oil, so do not use your pastry cloth and rolling pin sleeve.
• Place each slice on a lightly oiled surface.
• Lightly oil the top of the slice and then roll out into a very thin circle about 6 or 7 inches in diameter.
• Papadams must be rolled extremely thin, maximum 1/16 inch.
• If the dough sticks to your rolling pin, gently pull it off.
• Dust the tops of each papadam with cayenne pepper.
• Using a metal spatula to loosen the edges of the papadams from the rolling surface, carefully place them on large baking sheets.
• The traditional method for preparing and frying papadams is described below; you can also bake them in a 300F oven for about 15 to 25 minutes, or until crisp and dry.
• The cooking time may vary beyond this range depending upon the thickness and moisture in the rolled dough.
• Cool them on a rack.
• To prepare the papadams in an authentic manner, don't bake them; first allow them to dry by leaving them in the sun for a few hours or by placing them in a very low oven (less than 200F) for 1 to 2 hours, turning occasionally.
• Dry the papadams until they are just slightly flexible and show no moisture; they should not brown or bake, however.
• At this point, the papadams may be stacked flat and stored in an airtight container until needed; they will keep for months if stored properly.
• When ready to serve, heat about 1/8 inch of oil in a large skillet; the oil should be hot, but not smoking; a drop of water flicked into the skillet should sizzle immediately.
• One at a time, drop the papadams into the hot oil.
• Turn the papadam when it begins to curl at the edges; it will quickly fry and become crisp.
• Remove it before it turns brown.
• Cool and drain the papadams on paper towels and eat them immediately.

PAPPADAMS (LENTIL WAFERS)

Steps:

• Heat about 1 1/2 inches oil in a wok or 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over high heat until a tiny piece of pappadam dropped in oil quickly bobs to surface and expands (about 350°F).
• Reduce heat to medium-high. Slip 1 pappadam into oil and let it expand to its full size and turn light brown, 10 to 30 seconds. Using tongs, flip it over quickly and fry other side until light brown. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining pappadams. (If pappadams don't expand immediately, oil is too cool; if they brown too quickly, oil is too hot.)

PAPADUM (LENTIL CRACKERS)

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix the flour, black pepper, cumin and salt.
• Add the water and knead the dough by hand until it is smooth.
• Depending on the flour you may need to add more or less water to reach the desired consistency. It should be wet enough to hold together but not too sticky.
• Divide the dough into 12 to 15 balls and roll out one ball at a time to a very thin round layer about 1/8 inch thick or use your pasta roller. Then place them on a slightly oiled surface oiled or silpat lined cookie sheets.
• Place the papadums in the oven preheated to about 200 F for 60-90 minutes.
• Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
• Fry in a non-stick skillet in a small amount of oil (I prefer to dry fry them) until they are crispy but do not let them brown.
• Serve warm. They can also be made ahead and then be crisped up in a warm oven before serving.