Papdi No Lot | Khichu

Recipe: Papdi No Lot | Khichu

Papdi No Lot | Khichu is a popular Gujarati spicy steamed rice flour dish that is usually enjoyed as a snack with some red chilli powder or pickle masala and drizzled with oil. This steamed snack is usually enjoyed by all kids and adults. Known as papdi no lot by the Charotar Patels and rice khichu by the rest of Gujarat. Please do not confuse it with the rice moong khichu which usually is made in a pot and not steamed.

Memories

Saturdays was when the women of the house had late lunch. That is when the men folk would come home for lunch. They would takes turns as the toy shop was kept open throughout. That meant that by the time my grandfather and dad ( the last lot) had lunch it was past 1 p.m. Then the women of the house would all sit and enough lunch at leisure. Usually, I got to sit with them as I helped to serve hot rotlis and made several kitchen dining room runs for refills. Therefore, around 10 a.m. my aunt or mum would make papdi no lot as a snack for all at home. That way the women wouldn’t feel hungry too soon.

A Tribute To My Bhabhi

Sonal bhabhi, my late sister in law immediately took me under her wing from the first day I met her. Always smiling, friendly and motherly she taught and advised me whenever I needed her help. Whenever we visited Nairobi, meals were not an elaborate affair at her place. Simple but tasty dishes were prepared in no time to feed us and her family.  I learned from her  a foolproof recipe to make the perfect papdi no lot(steamed rice flour dough). If you follow the measurements and tips given below, then papdi no lot or khichu turns out not too hard and not too soft. I have tried out this recipe with rice flour from India, Kenya , UK and the end result is the same. Of course feel free to vary the amount of green chillis you use.

What Is Papdi No Lot | Khichu?

Papdi no lot or khichu is a very popular Gujarati snack, more so in some communities than others. It is prepared on a regular basis in most Patel homes. Prepare it for brunch, light lunch, for guests at teatime or dinner.  Most Gujaratis love it. Usually papdi no lot is steamed to make papdi or rice crackers. Papdi is rolled out into a thin circle of 5-6 inches in diameter. It is then dried in the sun and stored. The dry papdi or rice cracker is then roasted over open fire, charcoal one being the most ideal or it is fried. After all the hard work of making the padi no lot, rolling and drying, the family deserves some steaming hot papdi no lot. Neighbours who come to help also get treated to this popular Gujarati snack.

Whenever families made papdi from papdi no lot, it was like a whole day affair as it was made in huge quantities during summer. Papdis can be stored throughout the year. Part of the papdi making ritual was also to enjoy hot steaming papdi no lot.

How Is Papdi No Lot | Khichu Made?

• If you are making papdi no lot as a snack then do not use glutinous rice. Best to go for basmati or short grain rice. If you use glutinous rice flour the resulting papdi no lot will be sticky and difficult to swallow.
• Also do not knead the initially cooked dough too much. Again that makes the end result too sticky.
• Add the mentioned amount of water in the initial stage. If the resulting dough is dry then you can add more water, but little by little. Remember, different brands and types of rice flours absorb water differently.
• It is a misconception that the more you boil the green chilli paste  in the water it results a lovely yellowish dough. The yellowish colour comes from the cumin(jeera) and carom (ajwain) seeds that are boiled in the water till the water appears very light green in colour.
• When steaming the dough, the container in which the dough is placed should not touch the water otherwise the dough will become very soft.
• Allow the steamed papdi no lot to cool a bit in the steamer before you remove it. If you try to remove when it is hot, the doughnut shaped dough will break or becomes a lumpy mess.
• Basically, too much water and the papdi no lot will be too soft. Less water results in hard khichu.

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PAPDI NO LOT (STEAMED RICE FLOUR DOUGH) / KHICHU

Papdi No Lot | Khichu is a popular Gujarati spicy steamed rice flour dish that is usually enjoyed as a snack with some red chilli powder or pickle masala and drizzled with oil. This steamed snack is usually enjoyed by all kids and adults. Known as papdi no lot by the Charotar Patels and rice khichu by the rest of Gujarat. Please do not confuse it with the rice moong khichu which usually is made in a pot and not steamed.

Course Snack

Cuisine Gujarati

Keyword Gujarati papdi no lot, Khichu recipe, papdi no lot, rice flour khichu, steamed rice flour dough

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 12 small pieces

Author mayurisjikoni

Ingredients

• 2 cups rice flour
• 4 - 4½ cups water
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp carom seeds
• 2 tsp salt
• 1-2 tsp green chilli paste
• 8-10 peppercorns
• ½ inch cinnamon stick
• 6 cloves
• 2 tbsp oil
• ½ tsp soda bicarbonate
• ¼ tsp asafoetida

Instructions

• Crush the peppercorns lightly. Do not make it into a powder.
• Cut the cloves into 2 with a sharp knife.
• Cut the cinnamon into smaller pieces.
• Sieve the flour. Add  the peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon and asafoetida.
• Put the water to boil in a saucepan.
• When it begins to boil, add the cumin, carom and sesame seeds. Let it boil till the water becomes a pale yellowy green colour.
• Add the salt, oil, green chilli paste and the soda bicarbonate. Immediately add the flour.
• Stir using a wooden spoon till all the flour and water is mixed. It may appear lumpy but that is fine.
• Take it off the heat and let the dough cool down enough so that you can handle it with your hands.
• Take the dough out of the pan into a wide tray or plate. Smear your hands with some oil and knead the dough with the palm of your hand till it is quite smooth.
• Divide the dough into 10-12 pieces, depending on the size you want. Keep on greasing the palm if the dough sticks. Roll out the dough into a ball and flatten it slightly. Make a hole in the middle with your finger. It should look like a doughnut.
• Put water in a steamer over medium heat. Let the water boil.
• When the water is hot place the dough on the steamer tray. Cover with a damp cotton cloth. Cover the pan with a lid.
• Steam the dough for 30 minutes on medium heat. If your steamer is small, steam the dough in small batches.
• Serve hot with oil and garlic chutney, ready pickle masala or red chilli powder.
• You can reheat the papdi no lot by steaming it again for 5-10 minutes.

Notes

• Can make ahead and leave it. Just warm it up in the steamer before serving. I find covering the dough while steaming with a big white hankerchief the most convenient as  in other cloths the colour may run. The idea of covering with a cloth is so that the water dripping from the side of the lid does not make the dough too soft.
• Make sure the water in the steamer is not touching the steamer tray or plate. Usually filling it quarter of the way is fine.
• You can freeze them without steaming. Steam when required.
• Amount of water required to make the dough will depend on the type of rice flour, some absorb more, some less. I prefer to use initially use only 4 cups and then add more if required once you have added the flour to the water.
• Can reheat by steaming the papdi no lot for 5-10 minutes.

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