Papdi Chaatपापड़ी चाट

This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.

Finding Desi spots near Plano…

Ingredients

• For the papdi
• ▪maida — all-purpose flour1 cup
• ▪ajwain — carom seeds1/4 tsp
• ▪oil — for dough and frying2 tbsp + for frying
• ▪salt1/2 tsp
• For the green chutney hari chutney
• ▪fresh coriander — hara dhaniya50g (1 large bunch)
• ▪green chillies — hari mirch3–4
• ▪garlic — lahsun2 cloves
• ▪lemon juice — nimbu2 tbsp
• For the tamarind chutney imli ki chutney
• ▪tamarind block — imli50g
• ▪jaggery — gur4 tbsp
• ▪black salt — kala namak1/2 tsp
• ▪dry ginger powder — sonth1/4 tsp
• ▪cumin powder — jeera1/2 tsp
• For assembly
• ▪boiled potatoes, diced small — aloo2 medium
• ▪boiled chickpeas — kabuli chana1/2 cup
• ▪plain yogurt, whisked smooth — dahi1.5 cups
• ▪chaat masala1.5 tsp
• ▪sev — fine chickpea noodles1/2 cup
• ▪pomegranate seeds — anardana (optional)2 tbsp

Method

1. 1Make the papdi dough: rub 2 tbsp oil into the flour, salt, and ajwain with your fingertips until the mixture feels like damp sand. Add cold water one tablespoon at a time — you will need about 4–5 tablespoons — to bring it together into a stiff dough. Knead briefly for 1 minute. Rest covered for 15 minutes.
2. 2Roll the dough thin, about 2mm, on a lightly floured surface. Cut into small rounds 4–5 cm across using a cookie cutter or the rim of a small glass. Prick each round all over with a fork so they do not puff during frying. Deep-fry in batches in oil at 160°C for 3–4 minutes until pale golden and fully crisp. Cool on a rack — they crisp further as they cool. Store in an airtight container; they keep well for 3–4 days.
3. 3Make the green chutney: blend the coriander leaves, green chillies, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, and salt with 2–3 tablespoons of water to a smooth bright-green paste. Taste for heat and acidity and adjust. Refrigerate until needed.
4. 4Make the tamarind chutney: soak the tamarind block in 3/4 cup of hot water for 20 minutes. Squeeze and work with your hands to extract all the pulp, then strain through a sieve to remove fibres and seeds. Cook the strained pulp with jaggery over medium heat, stirring, for 8–10 minutes until it thickens to a pourable consistency. Stir in the black salt, dry ginger powder, cumin powder, and a pinch of red chilli powder. Cool. The chutney should be thick enough to coat a spoon but still drizzleable.
5. 5Whisk the yogurt until completely smooth. If it is very thick, thin it with a splash of water. Season with a small pinch of salt.
6. 6To assemble each serving: arrange 5–6 papdi on a plate or in a shallow bowl. Spoon a tablespoon each of diced potato and chickpeas over the papdi. Drizzle the whisked yogurt generously over everything. Follow with tamarind chutney, then green chutney. Dust with chaat masala and a little red chilli powder. Scatter sev thickly over the top and finish with pomegranate seeds if using.
7. 7Serve immediately. Once the yogurt and chutneys hit the papdi they begin to soften — chaat waits for no one.