Papadam

Papadam is a thin, crisp South Asian wafer made from seasoned legume flour, usually fried or roasted and served as a snack or accompaniment.

Connect

Urad dal: Urad dal is split or whole black gram, a pulse widely used in South Asian cooking. Its flour is a common base for papadam dough.
Deep frying: Deep frying cooks food by immersing it in hot oil or fat. Hot oil rapidly puffs and crisps many papadams.
Indian cuisine: Indian cuisine comprises the diverse regional food traditions of the Indian subcontinent. Papadam is a familiar accompaniment in many Indian meals.
Khakhra: Khakhra is a thin, crisp Gujarati flatbread made from wheat flour and cooked on a griddle. It resembles papadam in crispness but is a cooked flatbread rather than a legume wafer.
Papad khar: Papad khar is an alkaline salt mixture used in some Indian papad recipes. It can make the dough easier to roll and the cooked wafer crisper.
Roasting: Roasting cooks food with dry heat, usually in an oven or over a flame. Direct dry heat cooks papadam without immersing it in oil.
South Indian cuisine: South Indian cuisine encompasses the food traditions of India's southern states and nearby regions. Papadam commonly accompanies rice-based meals and thalis in the region.
Puri: Puri is a small Indian bread that puffs when deep-fried. Puri is soft and bread-like inside, unlike papadam's brittle wafer texture.
Legume flour: Legume flour is flour milled from beans, peas, lentils, or other pulses. Papadam belongs to the broader family of foods made from pulse flours.
Puffing (food processing): Puffing expands food as heat turns internal moisture into vapor. Moisture escaping from the thin wafer can create bubbles and a blistered surface.