Wish you all a very happy Vijaya Dashami !
The time of festivities have started again with this Navratri and Durga Puja, and this festive spirit will continue to cheer us for the upcoming Diwali, Bhai Dooj and so on. The post pandemic situation has started to normalise a little and we are in a mood to celebrate no matter what. During this pandemic we all have learnt to live life despite of all the challenges with acceptance, hope and a lot of positivity.
With this post, I am sharing my aunt’s recipe of stuffed papad curry for you. I found this as a perfect vegetarian recipe to be prepared in this period of Navratri when a large chunk of Indian population follows a strict vegetarian diet. Though this is a pure no onion no garlic recipe, yet its taste is no less than any spicy non-vegetarian dish. I find it quite satisfying as a substitute for the usually made egg omlette curry in its feel and appearance. So this is a very good option when you are on a hardcore vegetarian diet especially for those who turned vegetarians from non-vegetarians but the craving for non-vegetarian kind of food still bothers them. This spicy no onion, no garlic curry will surely win a space in your menu list while on a strict vegetarian diet.
Papad curry is a very common dish among the vegetarians in Northern India especially among the Marwari Jain communities who follow a satwik diet and spice up their dishes without onion and garlic. My recipe of papad curry is a slightly different version of the usual papad curry which is often enjoyed in my home. Have a look at the recipe below if you really want to give it a try.
RECIPE:
Ingredients:
A) For stuffing inside the papad parcel :
1. Paneer (mashed) – 1 tbsp
2. Potato (mashed) – 1 tbsp
3. Cumin/jeera powder – 1/4 tsp
4. Coriander/dhaniya powder – 1/4 tsp
5. Turmeric/haldi powder – 1/3 tsp
6. Red chilli powder – 1/4 tsp
7. Raisins – 5-6
8. Chaat masala – 1/4 tsp
9. Black salt – a pinch
10. Green chilli (chopped) – 1 or 2
11. Oil (mustard oil or any neutral oil) – 2 tsp
B) For Papad coat :
1. Papad – 2-3
2. Besan ( gram flour) or Maida ( refined flour ) – 1 tbsp
3. Salt – a pinch
4. Oil (for deep frying ) – 3-4 tbsp
C) For the curry :
a) For tempering :-
1. Nigella seeds (Kalo jeera / Kalonji) – 1/2 tsp
2. Mustard seeds (sarson) : 1/4 tsp
3. Fenugreek seeds (methi) : 1/2 tsp
4. Asafoetida (heeng) – a pinch or two
5. Dry red chilli – 1
b) For gravy :-
1. Tomato (pureed) – 1 large or 2 medium sized.
2. Ginger paste – 1 tsp
3. Cumin powder – 1/3 tsp
4. Coriander powder – 1/3 tsp
5. Red chilli powder – 1/4 tsp
6. Asafoetida / heeng – 1/4 tsp
7. Black salt – a pinch
9. Yoghurt – 1 tsp.
10. Green chilly – 1 or 2
10. Sugar – little or to taste.
11. Salt – to taste
12. Oil – 2 tbs
Preparation :
A) For stuffing :
1. In a bowl, add mashed paneer, aloo, chat masala, red chilli powder, black salt, chopped green chillies and mix well together.
2. Now, heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot enough, splatter with kalo jeera.
3. Add the mashed mixture and stir.
4. Add coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder and red chilli powder, raisins and black salt.
5. Stir the mixture well.
6. Switch off the flame and bring it down to let it cool for some time.
B) For papad coat :
1. In a bowl, take the besan, add little salt and water to make a batter that should be of slightly thicker consistency for sealing the edges of the papad parcels after filling the stuffing inside.
2. Place a whole papad over a tray. Take little of the previously prepared mashed mixture and place it over the papad along one of the sides covering entire length of the papad.
3. Slightly wet your palms and start folding the papad from that side.
4. Fold the papad tightly into a flattened roll and cut each roll using a sharp knife into 2 or 3 pieces according to your need.
(Note : You may look at the folding steps in the slide show below.)
5. Take each piece and seal the open ends of each piece with the batter.
6. Heat oil in a kadhai and deep fry the stuffed and sealed papad pieces until slightly golden in colour.
7. Keep aside the fried papad pieces over a tissue paper to soak the extra oil.
C) For curry gravy :
1. Switch on the flame and again heat some oil in a pan or kadhai.
(Note : You may use the oil remaining from previous step i.e. step 7, after straining it.)
2. Add some more oil in the pan if required and heat over a medium or low flame. When the oil is completely hot, add a dry red chilly. Saute until it turns đark. Temper the oil with seeds of mustard, fenugreek and kalonji.
3. Add the slices of potato with a pinch of turmeric & salt and fry them slightly till they show just a brownish hue.
4. Remove the slightly fried potato slices from the kadhai and keep aside on a plate.
5. Add little asafoetida and ginger paste. Saute for sometime to fry the ginger properly.
6. Add pureed tomato, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and a pinch of black salt. Saute the mixture for some time over a low flame.
7. Add curd, green chillies and the remaining asafoetida and saute to mix it well.
8. Add little sugar and salt to taste and mix it nicely.
9. Add the fried potato slices and again saute for sometime to cook the potatoes properly. Add little water if required.
10. Add more water to the mixture for a thick but runny gravy or according to your choice for the right consistency of the gravy.
11. Add the stuffed and fried papad parcels and bring the mixture to a boil.
12. Simmer for 1-2 minutes and switch off the flame.
13. Bring down from the flame and your delicious stuffed papad curry is there to satisfy your foody cravings.
Best enjoyed with freshly steamed plain rice, also goes well with jeera rice or pulao.
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