Papadi Chaat at home

 Papadi Chat is probably the lightest of all chats: compare it to other chats like, for example, samosa chat or tikki chat,both of which contain potatoes as their base ingredient. But to make papadii,  all you need is some flour and salt. These are the different parts of a papadi, each of which will be explained in detail:

1. Papadi : maida, suji and salt

2. Green Chutney : pudina, green chilli, jeera, salt, and lemon

3. Red Chutney: imli, water, sugar

4. Fried Peanuts: peanuts, salt, oil

5. Boiled potatoes

6. Whipped yoghurt

7. Onions

8. Tomatoes

9. Sev / Bhujia / Dalmoth

Optional:

1. Birey nun

2. Chaat masala

Papadi

First of all, take same maida, less than half of its amount of suji, and a pinch of salt, as shown in the picture.

 

Knead the flour into shape. The consistency should be soft, just like for regular parotha. You don't need too much flour, as the papadis are just the base for this snack. 

Now, take a flat chakla, a rolling pin, and roll out medium sized chapattis. This chapatti should be as thin as possible, preferably as thin as the name papad-i suggests. 

 

Next, cut the big roti into desired shape and size. I cut them into squares of approximately one inch  per side. If you want your papadis round like you favorite roadside vendor makes them,  then you will have to cut them with tumblers, or roll out each individual papadi. Frankly, the shape doesn't matter and this is easier. Also, make a note to not do the cutting on the chakla, as it might leave ugly scars (I did mine on the chopping board as you can see)

Next, take a fork and stab each little piece. This can be done before cutting the roti into pieces, but done it must be, else the pieces will fluff up, leaving you with square pani puris instead of papads. Make sure that  each piece has at least a few holes.

 

 Fry the papadis in medium heat until golden brown. Stack them one a plate lined with paper to soak extra oil

  

  Green Chutney

 Assemble the four ingredients: pudina, green chilli, jeera, and salt, and grind them together. No, you do not need to have a  stone silauto. A modern grinder will do the job well.

 

Add lemon juice  (or jyamir if you prefer, like in the picture) to the mixture. Add water if necessary to make this mixture runny. Though less in quantity, this chutney should be very tangy and pungent.)

Red Chutney 

The red chutney is made of imli.  I have used a store bought imli chutney, but it is very easy to make imli pickle. Simply boil some dry, store bought imli in water, and once it is soft enough, add sugar to taste. The mixture should be thick and not runny.

 

Fried Peanuts

Heat a small quantity of oil in a pan, Fry some shelled peanuts in low until they are golden brown. I have used curry leaves but they are not necessary. 

 Other ingredients:

Assemble these ingredients: from top left: minced tomatoes, green chutney, red chutney, boiled and sliced potatoes, fried peanuts, bhujia / dalmoth, minced onions, and yoghurt in the center.

 

Finally

Layer  all the ingredients. Begin with papdis at the the bottom. Put in a few slices of potatoes, and a spoonful each of onions and tomatoes. Pour three spoonfuls of yoghurt, and one teaspoon each of green and red chutney. Sprinkle peanuts and bhujia on top. Optionally, you can sprinkle birey nun and chaat masala on top, and also dhaniya if you like. Finaly, your yummy mouth watering afternoon snack is ready, better than your favorite vendor's. (You can stir the mixture before eating if you want)