Semolina Crackers in Yoghurt and Tamarind Sauce (Spicy Indian Street Food)
Papari Chaat
Papari is a popular roadside snack all over India, sold by street hawkers and specialized Chaat restaurants, a favourite of both my daughters. It is mouthwatering delicious and comes under a group of hot and spicy snacks that are collectively known as Chaat/Chat in India. You can see the Chaat Wallas, the street hawkers on the pavements of any busy shopping street on most evenings.
The word chaat is derived from a Hindi word Chatna, which means 'to lick'. Chaat dishes make you lick your plates clean, hence the name. They are so spicy and yummy that just thinking about them makes your mouth water!
Traditionally, chaat is served on throwaway plates or bowls made from leaves of Sal tree, held together with small sticks or twigs, used like paper pins. Banana leaves are also used for this purpose in parts of India where they are abundant. These days, leaf plates and bowls are made by press-moulds in factories. They are sold in big packs, just like paper plates in the West.
Paparies can be bought ready made from most good Indian grocers these days, if you do not have time to make them. You can get a reasonable result/taste by using roughly broken up water biscuits (English flour-and-water biscuit served with cheese, mostly made without fat) in place of paparies.
Serves 4-6 (depends on how much you like it!)
Ingredients
- For paparies. You can buy these ready made from most good Indian grocers in UK now.
- 1 cup fine semolina (you can use plain flour or maida)
- A pinch of baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1 tbsp. oil
- Luke warm water to make dough
- Oil for deep frying
- To Serve:
- 2-3 cups natural yoghurt or dahi
- Salt to taste*
- 1 large potato, boiled/microwave cooked, peeled and chopped or broken into small pieces
- 1 tbsp. finely chopped green chillies (optional)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped (optional). I don't often use it.
- A handful of boiled chickpeas (optional). Tinned ones can be used.
- Tamarind (Imli) Chutney or Sauce or Ketchup
- 1/2 cup Green Mango Chutney
- 2-3 tsp. cumin seeds, dry roasted and coarsely ground*
- 1-2 tsp chilli powder*
- 1 tbsp. fine Besan (Gram Flour) And Potato Sev, A Hot and Crispy Gram Flour Vermicelli Snack. You can buy these ready made from and Indian shop.
- *These ingredients can be kept in small bowls on the table for people to help themselves or added to yoghurt, as shown in pictures. It is quite nice to serve all ingredients separately and let the people help themselves according to their own taste.
Instructions
- Making the Paparies:
- Place all Papari dough ingredients in a bowl and make a firm dough.
- Knead well. You can make the dough in a food processor.
- Keep aside for 30 minutes or so.
- Break dough into golf size balls.
- Roll each ball into thin circle. Prick all over with fork or knife, this will stop them from ballooning and becoming soft.
- Cut into small rounds/circles, using a pastry cutter or a tiny katori. I would make them approximately 1 inch in diameter, no more. Each papari should be small enough to be eaten whole in one mouthful.
- Keep them covered with a moist muslin.
- Heat the oil. It should NOT be smoking hot, otherwise the paparies will cook too fast and not get crisp. They will become soft like poories. The oil has reached right temperature, if a test papari dropped into it, sizzles and rises slowly to the surface, not fast like poories.
- Drop them in oil in small batches and fry slowly until light golden brown and crisp.
- Drain oil and keep aside.
- Cool completely and store in an airtight container.
- To serve:
- Beat yoghurt and salt lightly, adding milk if necessary. It should be of custard like consistency.
- Spread Paparies on a quarter/side plate.
- Sprinkle 1 tbsp. chopped potatoes, green chillies and onions if used, on top.
- Drizzle 2-3 tbsp. beaten and seasoned yoghurt over this mix.
- Sprinkle a little salt, roast cumin, chilli powder and a tablespoon of Sev (and onions if used) on top.
- Spoon 1 tbsp. tamarind and green chutney on top, all over the Paparies.
- Serve immediately. Do not let it stand, the Paparies will go soggy.
Notes
- I often do not make green chutney for this dish, because my husband does not like it. But it does enhance the taste for most people.
- Also see A Collection of Indian Spicy Street Food (Chaat) Recipes