Disclaimer : If you've ever cooked anything more complicated than a boiled egg, stop reading NOW and go search for a blog which will tell you how to REALLY make a Papad.
Ok, now that that is out of the way, I have something for Lijjat Papad. Maybe it's those old amateurish advertisements of the 90s, or maybe it's just me being obsessed with yet another "brand", but when I saw Lijjat Papad in an Indian supermarket in Berlin, I just knew I had to buy it. I wondered what Ma would say, well my guess is she would tell me it's not possible to make good Papad without "fire", or maybe she'll tell me it's beyond my cooking skills. Who cares, if worse comes to worst, it'll be eaten raw (after sheep cheese and stalked bhindi, this seems totally reasonable).
So, I actually ate 1/4th of it raw just to get a feel of things, and now that I'd tasted blood, I had to eat more. I quickly washed the dirty frying pan, and in my excitement didn't wipe it nicely (MISTAKE #1), just switched on the heat and placed the papad, which broke into two as I hurriedly tried to pull it out of the packet (MISTAKE #2) and waited with bated breath for it to "cook". I wasn't sure how much heat it needed so I started with minimum, and ended up 5 minutes later with a soggy, still raw Papad that looked nothing like any other Papad I'd ever eaten. Anger can drive you to craziness, and so I went from minimum to maximum with my hot plate (after all fire, which we make Papad on in India is pretty hot I told myself) [MISTAKE #3].
The results of Mistakes 1-3 are summarized in a photo below :
Sorry, I forgot something (the black spoon in the pic just reminded me). MISTAKE #4 was to try and invert the Papad with my hands (the maid at home has to be blamed for this, she never gets a damn burn!). As I ate this Papad, it was a sense of deja vu. The last time I felt like this was watching Drona in a cinema hall in Indore, and convincing myself that everything about it was just about perfect, till the very end.
Anger had now given way to despair, and I decided to make one last attempt at making a Papad
I debated for a moment about experimenting with oil, then gave up (Do I really want to clean an oily pan after making crappy Papad?) All I did was correct Mistakes 1-4 (Dry pan, carefully taken out round Papad, Medium heat, and no turning with hands) and the results are again summarized in a photo below :
The missing piece is just me being sure that taking another pic is gonna be worth it! Of course there are many things that might be wrong with this Papad and my second method as well, but at least it tasted like good old Papad. And didn't we say this was a Papad for Dummies blog? Go enjoy your Lijjat Papad, and post a comment so I know what how to make it even better next time!
PS - Isn't it cute that the picture (this is the packet I bought) still has the "kurram kurram karram karram" tagline and the same girl and rabbit? Some things should never change :)
3 comments:
Adi...Alls well that ends well! Look at the final product! Kudos to your culinary skills. When you visit home next,the maid will be sent on leave for you to take over :-) I could visualize the whole papad making saga with you getting your fingers scorched! Cheers!!!
Aditya,
Here are two tips I learnt in the US, where pappad consumption in my household is low.
1. Keep it in the fridge so it stays fresh longer.
2. If you have access to a microwave, zap it in 10 sec intervals till it is cooked through.
If you have to cook it in the skillet, it helps if you use a kitchen napkin to press it down and around for an even cooking.
And please abstain from eating it raw.:)
I am answering your dal/ pressure cooker question on the blog after this.
Hey Jaya,
Thanks so much for commenting on my blog...very flattering but also embarrassing because of your expertise and my, ah well lets say lack of it!!! :P Will follow your tips the next time I have a craving for Papad! :)
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