Moong Daal Papri Served with Matar Choley-My version of “Papdi Chaat”

I tried this recipe as a Sunday evening snack and surprisingly it turned out to be quite a hit in my family.While I love all kind of chaat varieties, my all-time favorite is golgappa, chaat papri and Raj Kachori. Everyone in my family are big time “chaat” lovers and they like to eat it as a full meal rather than a snack.

Chaat is supposed to be the most famous Indian street food. It is relished by all age groups because of its addictive magical flavors and we do like to gorge on it as if there’s no tomorrow. It can definitely be referred to as a comfort food because of its satiating effect on our palate and enriches our souls with unique aroma. It is also light on our pocket :)

Talking about today’s chaat recipe, Moong daal papdi chaat is easy to make and its beauty lies in the unique texture and color of the dish. Crisp puri/papdi shells are filled with spicy moon daal(green gram) mixture and topped with a medley of mint chutney(dip),matar chola and yogurt to add tangy and savory note to the dish. It is finally finished with tomatoes, coriander leaves and sev(made at home), adding crunch to the hearty chaat. This is a sure shot crowd pleasing recipe but it surely demands some preparation work in advance to finish the dish in style.

By the way, I have used whole wheat flour and semolina instead of usual “maida” to retain the “Health” quotient.

Ingredients for Moong Daal Papri:

Whole Wheat Flour and Semolina: 250 gms( in equal quantity)

Whole Cumin Seeds: 1 ½ Tsp

Green chillies: 2-3 finely chopped

Ginger: 1 inch finely chopped

Asafetida: 1 pinch

Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp

Mango powder (amchur): 1 tsp

Garam Masala Powder: 1tsp

Green Coriander leaves: 1 bunch

Refine Oil to knead: 2 tblsp

Salt: As Per taste.

Oil for Deep Frying

Method:

1.    Soak the moon daal( green gram) in water for 2-3 hours.

2.    Wash the green gram, strain the water and let it dry completely.

3.    Allow 1 tsp oil in a frying pan to heat. Add cumin seeds and let it splutter.

4.    Now add asafetida, turmeric powder, green chillies, ginger and all other dry powder to the pan and cook it over medium flame for 1-2 minutes till the rawness of the spices evaporates.

5.     It’s time to add the green gram (moong daal) to the pan. Roast till it turns brown. Add salt as per taste and sprinkle ½ tsp garam masala powder and garnish it with finely chopped coriander leaves.

1.    Turn of the flame and allow the mixture to cool till you prepare the mixture for the papri dough.

2.    Grind the green gram mixture in a blender to make a coarse mix. Please see the image below of the coarse mixture.

1.    Take whole wheat flour, semolina and add 2 tsp oil to it. Mix well with hands and and then add the green gram mixture and ½ tsp salt.

2.    Knead the dough for papdi using cold water. Don’t knead it too much, just use a light hand and keep it aside for 30 mins.

1.    Divide the dough into small balls & flatten the balls softly with rolling pins to shape them as papri and deep fry them over medium flame till they turn golden.

2.    Papri’s are ready to be served with its accompaniments.

Ingredients for Matar ka Chola:

This is a delicious yet easy to make recipe, using dry peas that are light brown in color. 

They almost like chickpeas. 

Normal dry peas are green in color and called mater in hindi, a feminine term.

Dry white Peas ( Sukhi Matar):200 gms

Salt: As per taste

Ginger: 1 ½ inch finely chopped

Green Chillies: 2 finely chopped

Cumin Seeds: 2 tsp

Coriander Leaves: 1 bunch finely chopped

Garam Masala Powder: 1 tsp

Eating Soda: ½ tsp

Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp

Mustard Oil: 1 ½ tsp

Method:

1.    Wash and soak peas overnight. 

1.   Place in a pressure cooker with enough water to cover plus half an inch above and add salt, eating soda and turmeric powder Cook in a pressure cooker under full pressure for 5 minutes( allow 3 whistle) .

2.    Allow the cooker to cool down before opening, check that peas are soft. If not, cook some more.

3.    Now take a tempering wok and heat up mustard oil. Add cumin seeds, green chillies, ginger and garam masala powder. Please maintain medium flame or else you might burn the condiments.

4.    Add this to the pea’s mixture kept in the pressure cooker and mix it well. Garnish it with coriander leaves.

5.    The consistency of the chola should look like the image given below.

 Ingredients for Garnishing:

1.    Aloo Laccha (thinly grated potato chips): Thinly grate one big potato and squeeze out the water from it. Now deep fry them till they turn crispy.

2.    Beaten yogurt: mixed with Black salt and little sugar.

3.    Tomatoes: 1 Finely Chopped.

4.    Roasted Cumin: 2 Tsp

5.    Chaat masala Powder: 1tsp

6.    Black salt: 1 tsp

7.    Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves: finely chopped( lots of it)

Time to Plate up the dish:

Now place the papri’s in a serving plate and top it up with matar chola, aloo laccha, tomatoes and sprinkle roasted cumin powder, chaat masala powder, black salt and coriander leaves.

Alternatively you can add some tamarind dip to add some extra tanginess to the dish.

If you haven’t tried this before, believe me you are missing out something great. Try this lip smacking recipe and I am sure you will simply love it for its rich aroma. The best part is this is not at all heavy for your palate as well as pocket.

Enjoy the richness of the dish and savor the food for life.