Finsa Bikaneri papad
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Four things people actually cook with papad and badi in Rajasthan, written the way they are cooked rather than the way they photograph.

Roasted papad topped with chopped onion, tomato, green chilli and coriander

Masala papad

5 minutes Serves 2 No cooking

The one everybody orders and nobody bothers to make at home, which is odd, because there is nothing to it.

You need

  • 4 sada papad
  • 1 small onion and 1 small tomato, finely chopped
  • 1 green chilli and a handful of coriander
  • Chaat masala, red chilli powder, half a lime

Method

  1. Roast the papad over a low flame, turning it every few seconds until it puffs and colours in patches. Keep it moving or it scorches.
  2. Mix the onion, tomato, chilli and coriander. Drain off any water the tomato throws, otherwise the papad goes soft.
  3. Spread the mix over the papad while it is still hot.
  4. Dust with chaat masala and chilli powder, squeeze the lime over, eat immediately.

Assemble it at the table. Topping and papad have about three minutes together before the crunch is gone.

Three that turn into dinner.

Papad simmered into a yoghurt gravy

Dahi papad ki sabji

20 min Serves 4

A Marwari answer to an empty fridge. Curd, besan, papad, and about fifteen minutes of attention.

Ingredients and method

You need: 3 papad broken into pieces, 1 cup thick curd, 1 tbsp besan, 1 tsp ghee, half tsp cumin seeds, a pinch of asafoetida, half tsp turmeric, 1 tsp coriander powder, half tsp red chilli powder, salt, coriander.

  1. Whisk the curd with besan, turmeric, coriander powder, chilli powder and a cup of water until there are no lumps at all.
  2. Heat the ghee, crackle the cumin, add asafoetida.
  3. Pour in the curd mix and stir without stopping until it comes to a boil. Stop stirring and it splits.
  4. Simmer 6 to 8 minutes, until it thickens and the raw besan smell goes.
  5. Slide in the papad, give it 2 minutes, no longer. Salt, coriander, off the heat.
Papad cooked into a spiced tomato curry

Methi papad ki sabji

25 min Serves 4

Dried fenugreek and papad in a tomato base. Bitter, sharp and warming, which is the whole point of it.

Ingredients and method

You need: 3 papad broken, ideally punjabi or chana masala for the body, 2 tbsp kasuri methi, 1 onion, 2 tomatoes pureed, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, half tsp turmeric, 1 tsp coriander powder, half tsp red chilli powder, a quarter tsp garam masala, 2 tbsp oil, salt.

  1. Heat the oil and brown the onion properly. Undercooked onion is why this dish falls flat.
  2. Add the ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw smell lifts.
  3. Add the tomato puree and the dry spices. Cook until oil shows at the edges of the pan.
  4. Add a cup of water and the kasuri methi, crushed between your palms first. Simmer 5 minutes.
  5. Add the papad, cook 2 to 3 minutes, finish with garam masala.
Moong badi curry in a bowl

Moong badi ki sabji

30 min Serves 4

The winter one. Badi goes in hard and comes out holding more gravy than it has any right to.

Ingredients and method

You need: 1 cup moong badi, 1 onion, 2 tomatoes pureed, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, half tsp turmeric, 1 tsp coriander powder, half tsp red chilli powder, a quarter tsp garam masala, 2 tbsp oil, salt, coriander.

  1. Fry the badi in a little oil until deep golden, then lift them out. They keep cooking off the heat, so pull them a shade early.
  2. In the same oil, brown the onion, then add the ginger garlic paste.
  3. Add the tomato puree, turmeric, coriander powder and chilli powder. Cook until the oil separates.
  4. Add 2 cups of water, bring it to a boil, then drop the badi back in.
  5. Cover and simmer 15 minutes until they are soft the whole way through. Garam masala and coriander at the end.

Roast or fry, and why it matters.

  • Roasting Low flame, constant turning, about forty seconds. No oil, keeps the colour, and the papad stays light enough to eat three of.
  • Frying Hot oil, in and out in four or five seconds. Bigger puff and a richer taste, but it will not hold a topping for long.
  • Microwave Forty to fifty seconds on high, one at a time. Fastest of the three and the least forgiving, so watch it.