Masala Papad | Easy Indian Appetizer

This quick and easy restaurant-style Masala Papad appetizer takes just about 10 minutes to make and is an absolute delight with kids and adults.

I loved going to restaurants as a kid and I love going to restaurants to this day. Guess I was a born foodie and also happy that I had great cooks as my inspiration growing up.

One of my favorites to eat at the restaurant (and I have plenty), was this delicious and spicy Masala Papad. They bring out this huge fried appalam (papad) topped with spicy and tangy onion, tomato, and bell pepper mixture.

I remember fighting with my mama (uncle) to get the pieces of the papad before he got to it. Unfortunately, we don't get this in the Indian restaurants here.

So I started making my own. And my boys are just like me fighting over the pieces of masala papad before it gets over. This week I am cooking some of my favorite recipes with my Blogging Marathon group and this is the first recipe I have made under the theme.

What is Masala Papad?

Papad or appalam is a sun-dried and preserved lentil disc. It is made in bulk and is packaged and stored for future use. We can either deep fry the papad or microwave it to directly roast it on the flame to make it crispy.

The deep-fried ones are the best and are crispy and delicious. Papad or appalam can have several flavors added to it like cumin and pepper. The ones that are especially used to make this Masala Papad are crushed black pepper which makes it spicy.

The papad is deep-fried and topped with a delicious onion, tomato, carrot, and bell pepper mixture. Once ready to serve we sprinkle the vegetable mixture on top of the papad. I see it more like the Indian version of chips and pico de gallo.

Ingredients Needed

• Papad - We could buy any flavor of papad from the stores. I buy it from my local Indian store. I have used black pepper-flavored papad this time to make the Masala Papad recipe.

• Vegetables - Onion and tomatoes are a must. We could add more vegetables like I have used grated carrots and finely chopped bell pepper this time. I also like to add some cilantro to my masala papad.

• Spices and seasonings - I have used red chili powder, chat masala, and salt to flavor my masala papad. We could skip the red chili powder and use finely chopped green chilies or jalapenos.

• Oil - to deep fry the papad.

Step-by-step process

• Deep Fry the papad and keep them ready. I broke mine into pieces before deep frying them as they were huge. Remember the papad will become almost twice its size when we fry them. So either break it into halves or quarters or use a large pan to hold adequate oil to use the whole one.

• In a bowl, add all the chopped vegetables. Add the seasoning and lemon juice and mix well.

• Just before you are ready to serve, top the fried papad with the vegetable mixture and serve immediately.

Serving suggestion

Masala papad can be served with green mint chutney, dates & tamarind chutney, or both. Our boys like it as is without any kind of chutney. I like to add a little green chutney on top for added spice.

Expert tips and FAQs

• The papad can be deep-fried, pan-fried, or even microwaved to use for the masala papad recipe. I have deep-fried mine.
• Make sure to quarter the papad pieces before frying as they double in size.
• Add or take away any additional vegetables like the carrot and bell pepper.
• Instead of red chili powder, you could use finely chopped green chilies or jalapenos.
• Serve immediately after topping the papad as it becomes soggy very quickly.
• The papad can be fried ahead and kept covered.

Check out the Air Fryer Cabbage Masala Vadai for more appetizer ideas.

Masala Papad | Easy Indian Appetizer

Sandhya Ramakrishnan

This quick and easy restaurant style Masala Papad appetizer takes just about 10 minutes to make and is an absolute delight with kids and adult.

5 from 40 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4 servings

Calories 150 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 Papad store bought
• ½ cup Onion finely chopped
• ½ cup tomato finely chopped
• ½ cup bell pepper finely chopped
• ½ cup carrot grated
• 2 tablespoon cilantro finely chopped
• to deep fry Oil
• to taste Salt
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• ½ teaspoon chat masala
• 2 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions

 

• Deep Fry the papad and keep them ready. I broke mine into pieces before deep frying as they were huge. Remember the papad wil become almost twice it size when we fry them. So either break it into halves or quarters or use a large pan to hold adequate oil to use the whole one.
• In a bowl, add all the chopped vegetables.
• Add the seasonings (red chili powder, salt and chat masala) and lemon juice. Mix well.
• Just before you are ready to serve, top the fried papad with the vegetable mixture and serve immediately.

Serving suggestion

• Masala papad can be served with the green mint chutney or the dates and tamarind chutney or both. Our boys like it as is without any kind of chutney. I like to add a little green chutney on top for added spice.

Notes

Expert Tips and FAQ's

• The papad can be deep fried or pan fried or even microwaved to use for the masala papad recipe. I have deep fried mine.
• Make sure to quarter the papad pieces before frying as it doubles in size.
• Add or take away any additional vegetables like the carrot and bell pepper.
• Instead of red chili powder, you could use finely chopped green chilies or jalapenos.
• Serve immediately after topping the papad as it becomes soggy very quickly.
• The papad can be fried ahead and kept covered.

Nutrition

Calories: 150kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 1gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 25mgPotassium: 177mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 3625IUVitamin C: 30mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 1mg

Keyword How to make restaurant style masala papad, Quick and easy masala papad appetizer

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