Sindhi papad | Masala urad dal papad

Papad is synonymous with Sindhis. No meal is complete without this humble dish. Papad or poppadum is vegan and easy to make surprisingly. You can also make it gluten free if you do not add heeng or asafoetida. Home made Sindhi Papad is a delicacy in itself. Just have roasted one with tea or as a deep fry one as an accompaniment with your meals. Learn to make it in easy steps below.

You can gauge the popularity of papad with everyone by the amount of fried masala papad which gets ordered in a restaurant. Most people love Masala papad. We have all eaten it with a topping of some chopped onions, tomatoes and chaat masala while we waited for our curry and roti /flat bread to be served. Papad does give you some best memories.Other sindhi recipes include Dal pakwan, Kali mirch koki, Onion koki , sindhi kadhi, bhuga chawar, Sindhi toor dal kadhi , sindhi chauthe,sindhi tairi ,Seyun patata, sindhi sai bhaji and Sindhi khorak.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Related links
• How to make papad at home ?
• Sindhi papad recipe | urad papad recipe

Types of papad

There are various types of poppadams. Most common brand is Lijjat papad made by gruhudyog or business by homemakers. Major varieties are Sindhi papad, Punjabi which is quite spicy, ragi, urad dal, rice papad, jeera/cumin, sada/appalam, pepper papad .It also forms a basis of many dishes and starters like papad ki sabzi and besan/ gram flour papad.

People may make fun of Sindhis and their love for poppadum. Yet, everyone loves masala papad.Especially, while they wait for their main course. Crunchy and flavorful served with onion tomatoes and a hint of spices. Whether you fry it or just directly make it on the gas, papads will always be your first love.

I have been buying it from small gruh-udyog in Sindhi colonies. Now, that I m far away from those little humble home cooks, its time to make my own. This time when mum came home, she taught me her papad recipe. It was wonderful to get various tips and tricks along with a trip down memory lane. 

This humble product helped many refugees earn a living when they came back to their own country after losing Sindh to partition. Not many people realize Independence came at a huge price. We Sindhis definitely know it. They rebuilt everything with sheer hard work and reached to great heights!

My foodie memories of this humble masala papad

This recipe of papad has been passed on from generations in our family. The measurements have to be accurate to get that perfect papad.

I remember my grandparents making them so much at Bhopal. Dr. G.H. Bhatia was a visionary. Huge verandas and solar cooker drying and making for all those papad, kheeche, kachri and savories. My grandpa was way ahead of his time. As a doctor, he always stressed on good food. When men hardly ventured into the kitchen, he used to treat us with his sweet and savory recipes. Dear Bhairah ji you were a gem and a pioneer. Your notes still guide us but I wish I could have tried this last year and learnt something more from you.

There is something special about Sindhi community. Men are fond of their food but never shy away from making it. They equally help women(working or stay at home) with all chores at home. This is his recipe and it was magical to find his notes. This recipe also was perfected by my MIL and her sister( our masi) who learnt it from their mum. Both of them continued to make it even in USA. If you love your cooking, you will enjoy making it anywhere and anytime! Homemade papad recipe can easily be made using stand mixer too. Saves time.

How to make urad dal papad or Sindhi papad?

You can actually make it at home easily by drying in hot sun or using a dehydrator. It is as simple as dehydrating potato chips. I live in a small apartment and Melbourne weather is so unpredictable. Yet have been able to make a few batches easily. If you cannot make it all at once, just measure the dry ingredients in a bigger quantity and keep ready. Make it in small batches, whenever you get time. Got this tip from my aunt, Sonita. She has watched her dad make it every year. Yes, this is what we called experience 🙂 Made my life simpler abroad. It is difficult to measure small ingredients each time. Now this tip expedites my papad making 🙂

Ingredients

Below are the sindhi papad ingredients. They are the same for Udad papad. You may choose to reduce the amount of black pepper used if you want it less spicy.

• urad dal flour / split black gram flour
• black pepper
• cumin seeds
• baking soda / papad khar
• asafoetida
• salt
• water

refer to recipe card for details.

Related links

• Homemade Potato chips
• Urad dal vada | Medu Vada ( Air fry / Fry )
• Vegan Dal Makhani | Black lentils recipe
• Thooma ware chawar | Sindhi green garlic rice
• Sindhi kadhi chawal
• Sindhi Sai bhaji

How to make papad at home ?

Choose a day where its bright and sunny outside so that you can let these papad dry out in the sun.

1. Mix salt with water. Add half of the baking soda as well.

2.  Now, mix rest of the ingredients.

3. Add salt water to the mix.

4. Knead into a semi hard dough. You can also use a stand mixer for kneading.

5. If you are kneading the dough with hand, then you need to take a portion of dough, stretch it again and again so that it becomes smooth. Roll into a long cylinder shaped dough. Cut into equal pieces.

6. Roll into a thin papad by using dry urad flour. Then apply oil and roll thinner. This way it won't stick on the pin. Let it dry for some time.

7. Dry them on a plastic sheet or a bedsheet. You can also dehydrate them. Store in an air-tight jar once dry. ½ kg of dough makes around 50 papad.

Tip:  If your papad are slightly wet, store them in the refrigerator. If completely dry, outside at room temperature.

Variation

Some companies add papad khar to their papad so that it lasts longer. However the above recipe is good even without it.

FAQ