Papadum With Red Onion Chutney And Mint Raita

Papadum are those wonderful crispy Indian appetizers they serve up at Indian restaurants to start the meal. Try them with red onion chutney and mint raita for your next Indian dinner party.

If you’ve never had papadum think corn chips, Indian style. Except instead of corn masa they are made with lentil flour. Seasoned with black pepper or cumin seed. Crunchy. Tasty. Fun.

People say papadum are a flat bread. I don’t see it. I don’t deep fry my bread. Maybe I should try that. Might be onto something. Never say never. Pretty much everything that hits a deep fryer is tasty in my book.

But I think papadum are chips. Or crisps. Depends where you’re from. Not potato. Not corn. But chips. And every bit as addictive as chips.

Papadum is Indian

Papadum are Indian. For sure. I grew up eating them. With chutneys. Or spiced onions. Vegetables. Or straight up. Like chips.

Indians love to deep fry. Pakoras. Vada. Bhajis. The list of deep fried Indian appetizers is long. Papadum are the easiest to make. So I eat them often.

They go by all sorts names too. Where I grew up they were called papor. Some people call them poppadom. Or papad. Doesn’t matter really. All Indian.

But red onion chutney and mint raita are not

Not saying mint raita is not Indian. It is. But this is a westernized version. One you get at restaurants outside of India.

Flavourful. Just not super authentic. Pretty sure mint sauce isn’t Indian. But it makes for really good mint raita.

And red onion chutney. That is pure UK. There are red onion chutneys in India. Some crazy tasty ones from Sri Lanka. This is not that. It’s good. But it has ketchup in it. There’s no ketchup in any authentic Indian recipe I know.

I’ve never seen red onion chutney outside the UK. I haven’t been to Australia though. Maybe they have it there. But in North America it’s nowhere I’ve been.

If it doesn’t look like what you’re used to it’s because I’m leaving out the food colour. That’s why it isn’t day glo red in the pictures. If you want day glo a pinch of red food colouring will fix it right up. Entirely up to you.

This is not run of the mill red onion chutney

If you are looking for the exact same red onion chutney your local takeaway serves this is not it. Not completely different. But not the same either.

It wouldn’t be glebekitchen if this was just another copycat recipe. That’s not how I roll. And it’s not how you should roll either. Let’s all dare to be different.

This is a more complex version. It has stronger Indian flavours. It’s not just ketchup and chili powder with a bit of cumin seed.

There are two things that make this special. The big one is chili masala sauce. That’s one of my new favourites. I use it in masala chicken curry . Eggs. Burgers. And red onion chutney. It’s my new ketchup. Try it.

The more subtle addition is amchoor powder. That’s dried mango powder. Adds a little tang. A hint of sour. Another great ingredient you need to learn about.

Easy mint raita is still delicious

This is about as easy as it gets. But still really tasty. I have more elaborate versions. Mint and green chili chutney from scratch. Mixed with yoghurt. Tasty stuff. But real work.

This is about mixing some stuff together in a bowl. Nothing more than that. If you can measure and you can stir then you can make this. Seriously.

It’s almost too easy. Nobody is going to believe there’s nothing to it. It’s perfect for papadum. Nice with curries that have a little sugar in them as well. Or with chicken tikka. You’ll see when you taste it.

Buy your papadum – it’s just easier

I don’t make papadum from scratch. I don’t say that often. This whole blog is about scratch cooking.

I haven’t sold out. Don’t write me off. Sometimes it just isn’t worth it. This is one of those times. You can just buy them for next to nothing. They are cheap. And tasty.

There’s a certain satisfaction you get from scratch cooking. At least I do. But sometimes it’s too much. Pretty sure most restaurants don’t make papadum from scratch either.

So give yourself a break this one time. Cooking Indian is a lot of work. If people complain make them boiled hot dogs next time. I bet they smarten up.

I’m not such a fan of the big brand pappadum. You know the ones I mean. From the company with all the Indian pastes and sauces. They are too thick. Too heavy. And way too expensive. Just not worth it.

I go for the ones you get at Indian grocers. I like them better. Like the ones you get at restaurants. They have different flavours. Plain. Black pepper. Cumin seed. All good.

Serve your papadum straight from the pan

Don’t know that I need to add anything to that statement. Do not serve cold papadum. They need to be warm. Freshly fried. No way around it.

They get flat tasting when they are cold. Bad mouth feel. It’s almost work to eat them.

Just. Not. Good. If you take one thing away from this post this should be it. Do not wait.

Once they’ve cooled just enough to eat without burning your mouth. That’s where the magic is. Delicious straight up. Better with chutney and raita. The difference is kind of unbelievable. But believe it. Please. Believe it.

Papadum with red onion chutney and mint raita. Not much to it. Easy. But really tasty. Serve it to your friends. They will thank you.

papadum with red onion chutney and mint raita

Ingredients

• 6 papadum available at any Indian grocery
• oil to shallow fry about 1/2 inch deep

Red onion chutney

• 1/2 medium white onion sliced thin
• 1 1/2 tbsp chili masala sauce I like Tamarina brand
• 1 1/2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• 1/4 tsp salt – you can go up to 1/2 tsp depending on your taste
• 1/8 tsp amchoor powder for a bit of tang

Easy mint raita

• 1/4 cup plain yoghurt
• 2 tsp mint sauce – mint sauce is not mint jelly
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh mint minced
• 1 1/2 tsp cilantro minced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• milk to thin to your desired consistency 1-2 tsp (or none at all – up to you)

Instructions

Red onion chutney

• Slice your onion thinly. Really thinly. Cut it in half lengthwise. Set a half down on your cutting board. Cut off the stem end but leave the root end . Slice across the onion so you get half moon rings. Once you are done slicing cut the onion slices in half to form quarter rings.
• Deflame the onion. Takes the bite out of it. Put the sliced onion in a fine mesh strainer. Rinse under cold water for about a minute. Transfer the onion to a bowl of cold water. Let the onions soak in the fridge for 10 minutes. Drain. You can do this when you are making salsa as well. Smooths all the rough edges of the onion. This is a good restaurant trick for anything with raw onions.
• Combine the ketchup, cumin seed, masala chili sauce, salt and amchoor powder. Stir to combine. If you taste it now it will seem pretty spicy. Depending on the chili masala sauce you pick of course. Don’t worry. The onions will dilute the heat. And papadum seem to soak up the fire. If anything it could be spicier if that’s what you like.
• Fold in the onions. Mix thoroughly to coat the onions with the tomato mixture. If you have time refrigerate the red onion chutney for about an hour to mellow the flavours. It’s good right away. It’s a little better after it sits for a while. Taste it right before you are ready to serve and adjust the salt.

Easy mint raita

• Combine all the ingredients except the milk in a small bowl. Stir it up. Now decide if you like the texture.
• If you want it thinner add some milk, a teaspoon at a time, until you get to your desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt.

How to cook papadum

• Have your red onion chutney and mint raita ready to go before you start cooking papadum. Papadum do not taste good once they cool too much. They are great hot. They are not great cold. Trust me on this one. Nobody will like cold papadum.
• Pick a skillet a little bigger than the papadum. 10 inch diameter is about perfect. Bigger is OK but it takes more oil.
• A good set of tongs is essential here. Have them ready when you start cooking.
• Pour enough oil into your pan to get it about 1/2 inch deep. Heat your oil to around 350F. Use a thermometer. Guessing never works well. If you must guess you want your papadum to cook in about 8-10 seconds and not wind up too brown. Thermometers are way easier. Better food through science.
• Have a plate with some paper towel on it nearby. You are going to need to have it close to the pan or you are going to drip oil everywhere.
• Slip a papadum into the oil. It will start to curl and cook immediately. After around 4-5 seconds grab it with your tongs and flip it. It will be pretty solid so this should be easy. Cook another 3-5 seconds. Grab one edge of the papadum and hold it vertically above the oil to drain a bit.
• Transfer the cooked papadum to the plate with the tongs. I like to have my tongs in my dominant hand and the plate in my other hand when I do this.
• Repeat no more than 6 times. Don’t serve cold papdum. Just don’t do it. Have I mentioned that?
• Serve the papadum with the red onion chutney and mint raita. Let your guests decide what they want to put on their papadum.

Notes

papadum with red onion chutney and mint raita

Ingredients

• 6 papadum available at any Indian grocery
• oil to shallow fry about 1/2 inch deep

Red onion chutney

• 1/2 medium white onion sliced thin
• 1 1/2 tbsp chili masala sauce I like Tamarina brand
• 1 1/2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• 1/4 tsp salt - you can go up to 1/2 tsp depending on your taste
• 1/8 tsp amchoor powder for a bit of tang

Easy mint raita

• 1/4 cup plain yoghurt
• 2 tsp mint sauce - mint sauce is not mint jelly
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh mint minced
• 1 1/2 tsp cilantro minced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• milk to thin to your desired consistency 1-2 tsp (or none at all - up to you)

Instructions

Red onion chutney

• Slice your onion thinly. Really thinly. Cut it in half lengthwise. Set a half down on your cutting board. Cut off the stem end but leave the root end . Slice across the onion so you get half moon rings. Once you are done slicing cut the onion slices in half to form quarter rings.
• Deflame the onion. Takes the bite out of it. Put the sliced onion in a fine mesh strainer. Rinse under cold water for about a minute. Transfer the onion to a bowl of cold water. Let the onions soak in the fridge for 10 minutes. Drain. You can do this when you are making salsa as well. Smooths all the rough edges of the onion. This is a good restaurant trick for anything with raw onions.
• Combine the ketchup, cumin seed, masala chili sauce, salt and amchoor powder. Stir to combine. If you taste it now it will seem pretty spicy. Depending on the chili masala sauce you pick of course. Don’t worry. The onions will dilute the heat. And papadum seem to soak up the fire. If anything it could be spicier if that’s what you like.
• Fold in the onions. Mix thoroughly to coat the onions with the tomato mixture. If you have time refrigerate the red onion chutney for about an hour to mellow the flavours. It’s good right away. It’s a little better after it sits for a while. Taste it right before you are ready to serve and adjust the salt.

Easy mint raita

• Combine all the ingredients except the milk in a small bowl. Stir it up. Now decide if you like the texture.
• If you want it thinner add some milk, a teaspoon at a time, until you get to your desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt.

How to cook papadum

• Have your red onion chutney and mint raita ready to go before you start cooking papadum. Papadum do not taste good once they cool too much. They are great hot. They are not great cold. Trust me on this one. Nobody will like cold papadum.
• Pick a skillet a little bigger than the papadum. 10 inch diameter is about perfect. Bigger is OK but it takes more oil.
• A good set of tongs is essential here. Have them ready when you start cooking.
• Pour enough oil into your pan to get it about 1/2 inch deep. Heat your oil to around 350F. Use a thermometer. Guessing never works well. If you must guess you want your papadum to cook in about 8-10 seconds and not wind up too brown. Thermometers are way easier. Better food through science.
• Have a plate with some paper towel on it nearby. You are going to need to have it close to the pan or you are going to drip oil everywhere.
• Slip a papadum into the oil. It will start to curl and cook immediately. After around 4-5 seconds grab it with your tongs and flip it. It will be pretty solid so this should be easy. Cook another 3-5 seconds. Grab one edge of the papadum and hold it vertically above the oil to drain a bit.
• Transfer the cooked papadum to the plate with the tongs. I like to have my tongs in my dominant hand and the plate in my other hand when I do this.
• Repeat no more than 6 times. Don’t serve cold papdum. Just don’t do it. Have I mentioned that?
• Serve the papadum with the red onion chutney and mint raita. Let your guests decide what they want to put on their papadum.

Notes

Take Indian spices. Bash them up against the flavours of Southeast Asia. And you get cà ri gà. Vietnamese chicken curry. Seriously tasty stuff.

Chicken curry. Sweet potatoes. Carrots. Potatoes. Coconut milk. Lemongrass. Fish sauce. How can this possibly not be awesome?

It’s not quite like Indian curry. Familiar. But different. It’s more like a soup. Thin. Brothy. Perfect for dipping bread. And that’s exactly how you should eat it. With bread. Crazy. But so good.

Vietnamese chicken curry is also really good with rice noodles. Leave the root vegetables out. Serve it up in a big soup bowl. Maybe a bit unconventional. But it works.

I don’t get why nobody is doing it. Like a Vietnamese version of laksa. I’m calling that one a glebekitchen original. Please tell me if I’m wrong.

Indian technique makes a better Vietnamese chicken curry

There are a lot of cà ri gà recipes out there that tell you to marinate the chicken in curry powder and then fry the chicken. That’s the really hard way. Train wreck waiting to happen.

The chicken sticks to the pot. The spices burn. It can go sideways fast. Maybe not every time. But often enough.

The easy way is to bloom the spices in oil. There’s a lot of curry powder in Vietnamese chicken curry. And when you put this much spice in a dish you run the risk of a gritty texture.

I cannot stand gritty curries. So I always bloom my spices in oil. It’s easy. And it makes a big difference.

Blooming is just a fancy way of saying frying spices. Hot oil. Moderate heat. Spices. Stir. That’s it.

One thing. You need enough oil. That is critical. If you don’t have enough you might as well fight spice coated chicken like everyone wants you too.

Fry the root vegetables to keep their shape

This is the no-holds barred version of Vietnamese chicken curry. It doesn’t have to be this complicated. But this extra step makes a difference.

If you want easy Vietnamese chicken curry skip frying the root vegetables. Brown your chicken in a bit of oil. And follow the rest of the recipe.

Probably a good idea to parboil the root vegetables though. Carrots longest, then potatoes and sweet potatoes last.

But if you want to go for it fry the root vegetables. Not until they’re done. Just long enough to colour them up.

It will shorten cooking times. It will make sure the chicken doesn’t overcook. And fried does taste better. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

And as long as you are frying the vegetables you might as well fry the chicken. It’s really no extra work. You’re already set up. Like I said. No holds barred.

Serve good baguette with your Vietnamese chicken curry

I’m going to get into trouble for this. For sure. I like my Vietnamese chicken curry with baguette way more than rice.

I am not a fan of rice with this curry. And I eat a lot of rice. Just doesn’t work for me here. Not saying it’s wrong. Just saying it’s not for me.

Rice gets lost. I like a spoonful of broth. A bite of chicken. And a bit of bread dripping with sauce. Rinse. Repeat. Lick your bowl clean.

Curry powder matters

This is Vietnamese chicken curry. Not Indian chicken curry. So don’t think that using Indian madras curry powder is going to work here.

It is not the same. I have both. I have compared the ingredients. They are not the same. They don’t taste the same. Don’t even look the same.

It’s not actually hard to find Vietnamese madras curry powder. Once you know what you’re looking for you will see it in just about every Asian grocer.

Look for a package or a container that says ca ri ni or Vietnamese madras curry powder. Or maybe Vietnamese cari powder. Depends on the brand.

It’s actually a pretty safe bet that it’s the right stuff if it says madras on it and your Asian grocer doesn’t stock Indian.

Make the effort to find it. It matters.

Vietnam meets India meets delicious

This dish mixes up some of my favourite tastes in the world. And it comes out just like you’d expect it to.

It’s more Indian than Thai. Closest to Malaysian if I had to pick anything. Doesn’t matter really. It’s just delicious. And what else matters?

Vietnamese chicken curry. If you are a curry fan and you like Vietnamese then this is one you should try.

vietnamese chicken curry – cà ri gà

Ingredients

the spices

• 3 tbsp Vietnamese madras curry powder not Indian madras curry powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 bay leaves

The root vegetables

• 10 oz sweet potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 lb carrots cut into 1 inch pieces
• 10 oz potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces. I use yukon gold.
• oil to shallow fry

Vietnamese chicken curry

• 2 lbs chicken skinless, bone-in. I like a mix of thighs and drumsticks.
• 1 cup shallots diced
• 3 stalks lemongrass cut in half
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 inch ginger minced as fine as you can get it
• 3 tbsp fish sauce – start with 2 tbsp and decide if you want more.
• 3 cups chicken stock no sodium
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil you need this much oil to bloom the spices. They will stick or worse, burn if you cut back.
• the root vegetables
• the spice mix
• cilantro and Vietnamese garlic chili paste to garnish

Instructions

Do your prep

• Combine the curry powder, black pepper, turmeric and salt in a small bowl. Get your bay leaves ready
• Pick off the tough outer layer of the lemongrass. Cut each stalk into three even pieces.
• Peel the carrots, sweet potato and potatoes. Cut them all into 1 inch pieces
• Chop your shallots. Mince the garlic and ginger.
• Skin the chicken. Give is a liberal sprinkling of salt. You are now good to go.

Shallow fry the vegetables and the chicken

• A wok is great for this. If you have one use that. If you don’t something around a 10 inch pot should also do the trick. You can go bigger but you will need more oil. You want the oil somewhere around 2/3 of an inch deep.
• Heat 2 cups of oil over medium heat (or thereabouts – remember around 2/3 inch deep). You are going for a temperature of around 350F for the oil. Slip in a piece of sweet potato. If lively bubbles form around it you know you’re good.
• You’ll need to do this in 2 batches. Shallow fry all the sweet potatoes and half the carrots. Use a slotted spoon to flip them around so they brown evenly. The sweet potatoes take about 3 minutes. The carrots take about 4 minutes. You are going for lightly browned on the sweet potatoes and kind of blistered looking on the carrots. When they are done transfer them to a bowl lined with paper towel.
• For the second batch fry the other half of the carrots and the potatoes. Light brown on the potatoes and blistered looking for the carrots.
• The oil is hot anyway so you might as well fry the chicken. GIve it around 2 minutes per side. You want colour but you aren’t trying to cook the chicken through here. Transfer them to a bowl (no paper towel required) when the come out of the oil.

Make the Vietnamese chicken curry

• Heat the 4 tbsp vegetable oil over medium heat in a pot large enough to hold all the ingredients. Add the shallots and sweat until they are translucent and soft. This should take 3-4 minutes.
• Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute or so.
• Turn the heat down to medium low. Push the vegetables off to one side. You should have a puddle of oil in the middle of the pan. Its time to bloom the spices. Add the spice mix. Stir to make sure all the spice is well coated in oil. You may need a splash more oil if it looks dry. Don’t worry, you can spoon off some of the oil at the end if you want. Blooming the spices is really important so err on the side of a bit too much oil.
• Cook the spices for about 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Be careful. You don’t want the spices to burn. This step is critical. It’s also a really good trick to have in your bag for anything heavy on spice (think Indian and Mexican).
• Add the coconut milk, the chicken stock and 2 tbsp of fish sauce. Give it a good stir. Add the carrots, potatoes and the chicken. Hold the sweet potato back. It takes a little less time to cook sweet potatoes.
• Toss in the lemongrass and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.
• Add the sweet potato and cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170F for dark meat. This should take another 15 minutes. If you are using white meat you are going for 160F. Probably want to add your sweet potato in around 5 minutes sooner for white meat.
• To serve garnish with cilantro. Pass the garlic chili sauce along for people to add a bit more zing if they want. Serve with good crusty baguette.

Nutrition