Masala Khichiya Papad - Satvik & Vegan

Masala papad needs absolutely no special introduction as it is now one of the most ordered starter or rather filler at any Indian restaurant.  

Today , we shall see a different variant of Masala papad using khichiya papad . This papad is a speciality of Gujarat region and Masala Khichiya papad has gained popularity as a delectable street food .

What is Khichiya Papad ?

Papads made out of rice flour as main ingredient is known as Khichiya in gujarati . Papad khar a special type of salt is used in the making of these papads ..papad khar has salt and some amount of soda bi carb and baking soda which help in making of papads.

These papads are rolled into medium thick rotis and dried under the sun until crisp and moisture free.They are then stored in airtight containers 

How is khichiya papad made?

Traditionally, rice flour along with salt and spices is slowly added to boiling water and using a ladle it is mixed well without lumps till it comes together like a dough.

The dough is kneaded further with hands and then steamed in a steamer for 12 to 15 mins.

Once it is bearable to touch , small balls are pinched out of this dough and the rolled into medium thick rotis and sun dried until crisp.

Do we have different flavors in Khichiya papad? 

There are many variants . Some of which I  have tasted are listed below.

Saadha (plain) Khichiya papad

No extra added flavors except salt .

Spicy khichiya 

 It is spiced up using red chili powder or green chillies .  The red chilli variants looks slightly reddish in color due to the chilli powder being added where as the green chilli variant has just a paste of green chillies added to the basic dough before rolling it out .

 Pudina khichiya 

 Paste of mint leaves and green chillies is added to the dough while kneading and then rolled out. This variety will have a mild greenish color after frying.

Garlic khichiya

Flavored with some garlic paste to the dough .

Jeera / Ajwain khichiya

Either jeera (cumin) or ajwain(carom) seeds are added to the dough as flavoring agents or at times a combination of both are added. 

How to eat khichiya papad ?

The sundried papads are either roasted on open flame or deep fried and served as a snack or an accompaniment with lunch or dinner .

Traditionally they were roasted on burning charcoal and topped with some ghee and red chilli powder .

Today's recipe is all about how to make a tasty , crunchy and lipsmacking masala khichiya papad at home just like the ones served at the street food carts. This can serve as a perfect tea time snack or small hunger pangs for the kids who are now attending online classes from home .

I have used store bought sun dried khichiya papads and today we shall see how to make masala papad using fried khichiya papad.

Preparation Time : 10 mins

Frying time : 30 sec per papad

Serves -1 papad per person

Complexity: simple

Ingredients

Khichiya papad as much as needed 

Finely chopped cucumber 

Finely chopped tomatoes

Finely chopped onions (optional) 

Sev as needed 

Fried channa dhall 

Finely chopped corriander 

Green chutney as needed 

Some chat masala

Some red chilli powder .

Method

• Fry or roast the khichiya papads and keep ready.
• Take one papad , place it on a plate .
• Spread some tomatoes, cucumber, sev , fried channa dhall. 
• Drizzle some green chutney all over . Don't spread too much chutney as you will lose the crunch quickly .
• Sprinkle chat masala , red chilli powder and garnish with finely chopped corriander and serve immediately. 
• You can drizzle some dates tamarind (meetha) chutney if you like .

Linking this to Valli's Kids' Delight event hosted by Kalyani this month for Monsoon Special.

Cheesy Masala Papad

Papad is an integral part of any Indian meal . Papads are crunchy sun dried fritters served either fried or roasted along with the meal . 

Papads can even be microwaved or even air fried . 

What is papad or pappadum or appalam ?

Papads are prepared out of rolling a dough made using udad dhall flour , moong dhall flour or rice flour along with some spices . The dough is kneaded tightly and then rolled into thin discs like chapati/rotis and sun dried which are then stored for year around . This is mostly a summer activity undertaken by the ladies of the home. 

Now a days we have ladies wing and many small scale home industries which prepare and sell these papads across stores under various  brands with the  necessary hygiene and safety certifications .

What is masala papad ? 

Masala papad is a quick starter or an appetizer served just before the actual meal . A spicy tangy salad type mixture of finely chopped tomatoes, onions , cucumbers, lots of coriander with right amount of salt, red chilli powder , chat masala is spread over the roasted or fried papad and eaten with soups or cocktails/mocktails. 

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Cooking Time - nil 

Complexity- easy 

Ingredients

3-4 Roasted or fried papads 

2 medium sized tomatoes finely chopped 

1 cucumber peeled and finely chopped

1 onion finely chopped (optional - I haven't used).

2 green chillies finely chopped 

2 cheese cubes grated 

Finely chopped coriander 

Pinch of salt 

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp black salt 

1/4 tsp chat masala 

Jain version- skip the onions 

Vegan version - skip the cheese 

Method 

• In a wide mixing bowl , mix the tomatoes, cucumber, onions with salt, red chilli powder , green chillies, black salt and chat masala and toss it well. 
• Add in the fresh corriander and lightly mix it .
• Lay the papads on a plate , generously spread this salad mixture on the papads, top it with some grated  cheese and some crunchy sev.
• You can also add a few drops of khatta meeta chutney or green chutney too for extra flavor and zing. 
• Yummy masala papad ready. 

Do try the yummy street style Bhelpuri and 

Pani puri also on my blog .

Notes

1. Spread the mixture on the papads just before serving else they will turn soggy and wont taste good .
2. If you are preparing the masala papad for some party , prepare the mixture without adding salt , black salt and chaat masala. Add these and mix just before making the masala papad .
3. Adding salt before hand will tend to release water from the veggies and the salad will be all watery and will be difficult to spread on the papads.
4. I have used udad dhall pepper flavored papad. You can use moong dhall papad or even rice Pappad called khichiiya.

Appalam Vatha Kuzhambu (Vathakolambu)/Papad in Spicy Tamarind gravy

Tamilians need no introduction to Vatha Kuzhambu/Kulambu and for others who are wondering as to what is this..let me tell you,its a spicy ,tangy tamarind gravy with home ground spices which is boiled and reduced to a slightly thicker consistency in comparison to sambar.

This new version of using Papads/Appalam in the vatha kuzhambu was introduced to me after marriage and I was really intrigued as to how papads would taste in tamarind gravy and needless to say I was floored and it became my favorite like any other vethakuzhambu variant.

If you seek similarity , there is a papad based curry in Rajasthani cuisine too known as Papad ki sabji in tomato base curry or even Dal Dhokli from Gujarati cuisine is a close cousin .

Appalam vethakuzhambu comes to our rescue when we are out of veggies or look forward to a gut friendly meal soon after a festive spread or travel plans . 

Appalam vethakuzhambu is made quit frequently at my home and is relished with steaming hot rice and ghee .

The best combination for Vethakolambu is 

• Paruppu usili  (lentil based stir fry)
• Keerai masiyal 
• Coconut based Vegeable stir fry 
• Potato roast 

This post was a very old one published in 2013 and needed some clean up by way of adding new photos and small video snippet . (Updated in sep 2024) after almost 10 years... 

Just after festive binge eating during Janmashtami, I prepared a simple yet wholesome and balamced meal comprising off

• Appalam Vethakolambu
• Kothukadalai sundal (kala channa).
• Tomato Rasam
• Paruppu podi with hot rice 
• Roasted papads

Preparation Time : 10 mins

Cooking Time : 30-40 mins

Serves : 3-4

Ingredients 

1 cup tamarind pulp

2 tbsp sambar powder - Recipe

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp dhania / corriander powder

2-3 dry red chillies

1 tsp toor dhall / thuvaram paruppu/split yellow pigeon peas

1/2 tsp mustard seeds/kadugu

few no curry leaves

pinch of turmeric

pinch of asafoetida

salt

2-3 appalams /papad (south indian udad dhall papad )

2-3 tbsp cooking oil ( gingelly oil if u like the taste)

Method

• In a kadai /wok,heat the oil,splutter the mustard seeds.
• Slowly,add the red chillies,toor dhall,curry leaves,asafoetida and turmeric.Saute lightly.
• Add the sambar powder,chilli powder,dhania powder and saute well until you get a nice aroma.Ensure you don't burn the spice powder while sauteing. Roast the spices on low flame .
• Slowly add the tamarind water,1/2 cup water,required amount of salt and boil well.
• Let it boil until the mixture is reduced to 3/4.Adjust salt accordingly and add about 2tsp of jaggery powder. This enhances the taste of the Vethakolambu. 
• Break the papads into halves and fry them or microwave each papad for about 20 sec.
• I prefer the latter rather than frying,as it reduces the addition of oil content in the kuzhambu.
• Do not Roast the papad over direct flame,they tend to turn black and the taste is lost.
• Add these papads into the gravy ,garnish with corriander and wait for about 10 mins before serving.
• Serve hot with rice and ghee.

Notes:

• In case you find the Vethakolambu too runny , make a slurry of rice flour and add it to the boiling vethakuzhambu until the gravy thickens up. 
• If you find the tangy taste of tamarind on the higher side,add a teaspoon of grated jaggery.
• Do not add too much salt initially,as the tamarind extract reduces on boiling,saltiness tends to increase ,also the papad has salt in it, so keep the salt a little low .