Papri Chaat is a delicious popular Indian street food usually enjoyed as a snack. Learn how to make papri chaat at home!
I am admittedly not as familiar with Indian food as I am other global cuisines. But whenever I go out to eat Indian food, I love it so much!
What is popular Indian food?
If you live in the US as I do, you may have had some of the more popular Indian food at a local restaurant. Many people are familiar with dishes such as butter chicken, biryani, samosas, or tandoori.
Papri chaat
The dish I fall in love with over and over again is Papri Chaat. And the deliciousness of this dish starts with papri crackers.
These are crunchy crackers with nigella seeds and are probably the best fresh crackers I have ever tasted in my entire life. No exaggeration.
Papri crackers are sometimes called Papdi crackers. Papdi crackers are similar but use different seeds.
These crackers can be baked or fried, and I've included the baked recipe version here.
How to make papri crackers
You only need a few ingredients to make papri crackers:
- all-purpose flour
- whole wheat flour
- nigella seeds
- canola oil
- salt
- water
Mix the flours, nigella seed, and salt. Then add oil slowly until you achieve a mealy texture. Let the dough rest.
Roll out the dough and cut into crackers with a round pastry cutter or cookie cutter.
Bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes.
Toppings for papri chaat
You can use a variety of toppings for papri chaat. The following are traditional accoutrements served with papri chaat:
- boiled potatoes
- chickpeas
- tomatoes
- Serrano chiles
- red onions
- chaat masala
- yogurt
- chili powder
- chutney
- sev (fried chickpea noodles)
Papri Chaat
Ingredients
Make the Papri (crackers)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons nigella seed
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- Water as needed
Toppings
- 1 cup Yukon gold potatoes cooked, finely diced
- 1 cup black chickpeas cooked
- ½ cup tomatoes finely diced
- 1 tablespoon Serrano chiles minced
- 2 tablespoons red onions finely diced
- Kosher salt to taste
- 3 cups drained yogurt thinned with water
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- ½ teaspoon Kashmir chili powder
- 2 tablespoons green chutney make your own or buy
- 6 tablespoons tamarand chutney make your own or buy
- ¾ cup sev
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Mix flours, nigella seeds, and salt.
- Slowly add oil until mealy.
- Add water as needed to form a stiff dough.
- Allow the dough to rest.
- Roll into thin sheets, then use a cookie cutter or pastry cutter to cut out circles. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 350 degrees until the edges are slightly browned, which is about 18-20 minutes.
- Create an even base layer with the papri crackers on a dish and top in layers with remaining topping ingredients.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
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Pech says
Those papri crackers are like crack - I can eat a whole platter of those by myself, or even a bag plain!
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Right? I would eat those nonstop if I could.
Desiraer says
Those crackers look fantastic!
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
They're amazing and addictive! :)
abbigayle says
wow ! THIS LOOKS AWESOME! jus the idea of freshly made crackers sounds super yummy. I definitely will have to try it myself one day . Great post and thanks for the recipe !xo
Abbigayle Warner - Personal Branding Specialist
xo
Stealstylist.com - Femme Lifestyle Blog
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Thanks so much, Abbigayle!
Holly says
Fresh made crackers sound amazing! Also, I love how colorful Indian cuisine is. I'm a big fan of the "rainbow diet" so colorful food excites me :D
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
I love colorful plates of food, too, Holly. It makes such a difference in how I perceive the taste! Thanks :)