How to cook papadums

Step 2 Open the package & separate the papads

Raw papadums (or papads) are thin flexible sheets that look and feel like the illegitimate love child of a tortilla and a sheet of notebook paper. They are made mostly of Udad Dal, which is a type of bean that is ground up to make (bean) flour, a process not so different from grinding wheat to make (wheat) flour. Papads keep on your shelf about as well as dried pasta, so it's easy to keep a stock around for when you need them.

Papads come packed something like a dozen to a package, which usually costs around $1.50. Depending on which brand you have and how fresh they are, it's possible for them to stick together slightly, a little bit like tortillas sometimes do. Figure out how many you'll be cooking, and put the rest away. We usually go through a whole pack every time that we make some.

(Can you make your own papads from scratch, rather than buying these pre-made blanks? Well, yes you can. However, it's probably not worth the effort. These are very inexepensive, quick to prepare, and quite good. Even our Indian food cookbooks say that you should do it this way.)