Papad ki Sookhi Sabzi (Dry Curry)

For the longest time, the only way I knew how to eat papad was as a plain accompaniment to an Indian meal (usually khichdi), much like chutney or pickle. I liked papad overall, but the “dish” didn’t seem all that consequential.

When I moved to Bombay, my friends there would order masala papad as a starter in restaurants. This was something new, something interesting – papad dressed up as a standalone dish. I started experimenting with papad in curries, and warming up to this novelty – papad curry was very convenient on days when there are no vegetables on hand.

Sharing today a dry curry with papad as its star ingredient. I usually serve this on the side of a bigger meal: rotis with a tomato-based curry, a raita, and papad ki sookhi sabzi.

We get papad in many varieties nowadays: made of moong dal or urad, potatoes or rice flour, with added spices. For this recipe, use a plain salted dal-based papad.

You Need:

• Papads (moong or ural, plain) – 8 [buy here]
• Tamarind – lemon-sized ball
• Fenugreek seeds (whole or coarsely ground) – 1.5 teaspoons [buy here]
• Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon [buy here]
• Jaggery powder – 1 teaspoon [buy here]
• Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon [buy here]
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon [buy here]
• Red chili flakes – 1 teaspoon (adjust to taste)
• Cinammon – 1-inch stick [buy here]
• Asafoetida powder – 1/4 teaspoon [buy here]
• Mustard oil – 2 teaspoons [buy here]
• Salt – to taste
• Water – 3/4 cup
• Fresh coriander leaves – a few sprigs

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How To Make Papad ki Sookhi Sabzi:

Soak tamarind in half a cup of water for 30 minutes. Extract the juice and discard the seeds if any.

Dry-roast 1.5 teaspoons of fenugreek seeds and 0.5 teaspoon of mustard seeds together on low heat. When the seeds turn a couple of shades darker, turn off the heat. Allow the seeds to cool to room temperature. Grind them to powder in a blender or using a mortar & pestle.

Roast the papads on an open flame, for a few seconds each side, till they turn crisp.

Crush the roasted papad roughly – about 1-2 inch pieces, and don’t worry if the sizes aren’t uniform. A little bit of unevenness adds character ;-)

Heat two teaspoons of mustard oil in a thick-bottomed pan. When hot, add mustard seeds, asafoetida and cinammon stick in that order.

When the mustard seeds have spluttered, add red chili flakes, turmeric powder and coriander powder. Stir and pour in the tamarind juice, jaggery and half a cup of water. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Add salt at this stage if required. I say "if required" because papad tends to be generously salted and I usually find that no added salt is needed in this curry.

Add the cracked roasted papad and mix well.

The papad will absorb all the moisture and spices in 3-4 minutes. Take it off the heat at this stage. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve papad ki sookhi sabzi on the side with an Indian meal.

Notes:

As a variation, stir in papad ki sookhi sabzi into plain yogurt and serve it as raita.

Try more vegetarian curry recipes without vegetables: