Easy Starter - Masala Papad

I have always been a fan of easy and tasty dishes. My logic - why slog when you don't have to!

I had invited friends for dinner and was in no mood to make starters after cooking main course and dessert. And then it suddenly occurred to me - masala papad! Whenever someone ordered masala papad in a restaurant, I would wince. Restaurants are made for dishes for which one has to slog. So hara bara kabab or chilli paneer it has to be for me. I got excited with the idea of masala papad and that's what I served. It was colourful, yummy and everyone liked it, especially kids.

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

Base ingredient:

6 Papads - There are many varieties of papads and you can choose according to taste. I had Lijjat - Punjabi Masala which turned out to be nice and spicy for the base. 

• You can cut the papad with scissors into 4 or 6 pieces before roasting. It would be easier to pick and eat, a la a pizza slice.
• You can cut semicircles of papads and then after roasting, immediately turn them  into cones. These cones can then be filled with topping mix.
• You can use disco papad (small, bite-size papads) to begin with. They will be very easy to pick and eat.

Topping ingredients:

1. Tomato - 1

2. Onion - 1

3. Green chillies - 1

4. Coriander - 5-6 stems

5. Lemon Juice - 1 tablespoon

6. Chaat masala

7. Salt, chilli powder

Mix all the topping ingredients. Some chaat masala can be sprinkled on top afterwards too.

Way to go:

1. Microwave a papad for 40 seconds. Or you can roast it on gas. Fried papads can also be used but my mantra is easy, remember?

2. Spread the mix on papads, spinkle chopped coriander and chaat masala and serve right away!