To make pappadums, all you need are pappadums. Simply buy the thin sheets, stacked like large dumpling wrappers or wontons in their package, and fry the day you want to eat them or maybe even a day earlier. It’s a little snack that goes nicely with a cold drink, or a crunchy accompaniment to a plate of rice and curries.
Pappadums
Pappadum disks (1/4 package is enough for 2 people to snack on)
Vegetable, peanut or other high smoke point oil
Heat about an inch of oil in a high-sided frying pan or wok—the oil will bubble considerably and the papadum will puff up the second it hits the oil. When hot, add a papadum and be prepared to flip it and remove it in seconds to a paper-lined plate or tray with a slotted spoon or using tongs. When the oil is at the right temperature, the pappadums should fry to a golden colour within 3-5 seconds, and you should flip them once to dump the oil from the pocket that will have formed and to fry the curled edges sitting above the oil. If your oil is too hot, they may burn or turn too deep a shade—but maybe you’ll like how they taste that way. If your oil is not quite that hot, they will take a couple of seconds longer to cook, will be paler in colour and denser. This is not necessarily a bad thing if serving them with rice and curries, the structure works. But light as air, crispy, golden pappadums are the thing for a pairing with a cold drink.