Welcome!

Welcome to Salt as Needed, a blog about food, recipes, photos, and stories. My first story is about a Gujarati dish that you won't find in any Indian restaurant...Papri No Lot [pronounced loat and defined as "dough"]. I have been eating Papri no lot (dough) for as long as I remember because my parents enjoyed it as much as my sister and I did. Papri is a crisp fried dough wafer made from, you guessed it, papri dough. Every winter, when the heaters were cranking out lots of dry hot air, my parents would decide that it was time to make papri, a process that entailed staying up late, eating midnight snacks of papri dough , and basically bonding with my parents. Usually after dinner, my mother would start boiling water, grinding up green chili peppers and getting the hand cranked grinder out. My dad would knead and then run the papri dough through the grinder until it was soft and pliable. Next, my mom would start rolling meatball sized balls that my sister and I had the job of flattening out into thin disks with this squisher machine [I honestly have no idea what it is called]. Once the papri was flattened, my mom would stack it up and my sister and I then got to lay it out on sheets to dry, which took about two days to dry completely. Unbeknownst to my parents, my sister and I would "accidentally" rip some of the papri and then consume the evidence :-). Hot papri dough is the best! Anyways, papri is typically baked in the oven or microwave or fried and then served with a Gujarati rice dish called Khichdi, but that's a story for another day. Papdi no lot is the perfect dish to make when you are low on time but really want something filling that reminds you of your childhood. I hope you try it and enjoy it as much as my family and I do.

My Mom's Papri No Lot
(makes approx. 4-6 servings)

3 cups Water
1 tbsp Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp. Carom Seeds
1 Green Chili, finely grated (may need two if you like it spicy)
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
2 tbsp. Oil
1 cup Rice Flour

Bring the water, cumin and carom seeds to a boil in a medium saucepan. After the water has turned slightly yellow from the seeds, about 5 minutes, add the oil and the grated green chili and let the mixture boil for another 10 minutes. Next, add the rice flour and stir out any lumps, continually stirring while the mixture cooks, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and cover, letting the dough cook and steam, about 10-15 minutes depending on the consistency that you prefer. I prefer really soft, so I let it cook for at least 15 minutes, sometimes more. Serve warm with a drizzle of oil.