Pappad Canape | Puffed Rice Salad on Crisps

The idea of making canapes was something I wanted to play around with for a while now. Canape is basically a bread / a pancake or any base, with a topping and a garnish. You can get creative and make so may varieties of this dish!!

But summer has been exceptionally hot here this year that working in the kitchen with a simple recipe idea looked stressful.Luckily,for a week now, we have been having regular showers and the temperature has come back to near normal. It is still summer yet bearable.

This morning, the kids slept in late as they it is their vacation time and I just let them wake up when they please. Just another week left and then the kids are back on their schedule.

So taking advantage of a quiet house, I make this party-pleaser for Recipe ReDux where the theme this month is –

• Pappad also known as pappadam/ papad is a thin crisp disc made with urad dal flour. It may / maynot have spices and flavors/seasonings. It is fried or grilled and is served as an appetizer / along with lunch.
• Puffed rice is made by roasting rice kernals in dry heat / use high pressure in the presence of steam to make it. The method varies though. It is a popular street food in India with each region have a number of recipes to make a dish out of it. It is also used to make a few chaat recipes.
• Kaala namak literally means black salt with is found in the Himalayan region. It is a pungent condiment. The Crystals of kaala namak is dark in color / black and when ground to a powder is pink in color.
• Chaat masala,a fine powder, is another flavorful mix of spices used in Indian Chaats.
• Sev is a crispy vemicelli like snack that is prepared during festivals and used as a topping on Chaats.

1. Finely chop capsicum, onion, cucumber and raw mango.Grate carrot.
2. Deep fry / microwave the pappad and keep aside.Once cooled, store in an airtight container till needed.
3. In a bowl, take the chopped and grated vegetables, add peanuts, red chili powder, a little chaat masala and a large pinch of kaala namak, salt,puffed rice and mix well.
4. When ready to serve, place the pappad on a serving dish. Place a tablespoon or so of the puffed rice mixture.
5. Add a drop or two of hot and sweet sauce, a little sev and some coriander over it.
6. Take a bite…

Note:

• You can add / omit any vegetable from this list for variations. Roughly crumbled boiled potato, boiled corn, Boiled chickpea etc can be added to the mix. 
• Leave out the puffed rice and serve it like a salad on a pappad!
• Instead of pappad, it can also be served on toasted bread / crackers of your choice.