Besan Papdi Katori Chat | Chickpea Flour Shells with Sprouts Filling Recipe

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I am going to share a secret with you all today.

I have never played Holi (the festival of colors) ever in my entire life (except for once when I HAD to stay back at my friend's place). Neither did TH. Yes, we do believe in its true essence which is victory of good over evil, a common theme that runs through almost every Indian festival. Holi also waves goodbye to winter (which we never had) and welcomes spring (when is that? Its already so hot!) in a rainbow of its colors...

All my childhood, I have seen my parents lock the front door and all four of us stay indoors, gorging on delicious food, playing games or spend the day watching TV. Putting up a lock outside was important to make believe the outside world we were out of station. The plan worked for quite a few years but later my friends figured out the secret. But still couldn't do anything about it as they used fear the wrath of my father.

Essentially, Holi in our household is synonymous to family time and super delicious meals. With extra time on hand and nothing else to do staying at home, my mother used to make her famous biryani, korma, mirchi bajji along with many other delicacies. This year though, I chose to make something different for Holi. An appetizer that easy to nibble while staying in the house (in my case) and playing with colors (like many of you reading this post!). Both - the katoris and the filling can be made way ahead of time and can be assembled at the very last minute. Doesn't that serve our purpose to stay away from the kitchen during festival time? Yay!

Enjoy!

 Besan Papdi Katori Chat

{Recipe} How to make Besan Papdi Katoris

These shells stay fresh and crunchy when stored in an air tight container for weeks. One can serve almost anything as filling in this recipe. Add little salt to the filling first and taste along with one of the besan katoris. Adjust accordingly. 

Makes around 25 katoris

Ingredients:

1.5 cups besan (finely ground chickpea flour)
1 cup rice flour
2 cups chopped greens (I used spinach and cilantro)
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp oil
1 tbsp chilli powder
salt - to taste
water
Oil (if deep frying the shells)

simple ingredients - besan, rice flour, greens, ginger garlic paste, salt, turmeric and chilli powder

...this is the trick to cute little shells. Don't forget to lightly oil the muffin cups..

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, add chickpea flour, rice flour, greens, ginger garlic paste, turmeric, oil, salt and chilli powder. Mix all the ingredients without adding any water first. Then add water little by little and knead into a soft dough. Cover and keep aside.

2. Take a small ball of the dough and shape into shells using muffin cups. I used silicone molds so it was easy to just peel away the shell. One can use a standard non-stick muffin pan too, just be careful while removing the shell out. Repeat the process with rest of the dough. I made a batch of 6 shells at a time, let them rest for about 10 mins (so that they don't break while peeling) and they easily came out of the mold.

Since its festive season and wouldn't mind those extra calories, I chose to deep fry the katoris. If you wish to, you can bake the muffin molds (brush a little oil over them) as-is in a preheated oven (180 C) for about 10-15 mins, until cooked.

3. Heat oil in a kadai. Drop 3 to 4 shells at a time, reduce flame and fry until light golden brown. Don't fry for too long as they tend to gain more color once out and drained for a while. Store these in an air tight container.

..deep fried and ready to filled..

{Recipe} Mixed Sprouts Salad (Filling)

Not just as a filling, this dish also serves as a healthy side dish for rotis or as a quick salad.

..Don't they look super healthy. I love to eat them raw..

Ingredients:

2 cups mixed sprouts (I used green beans and brown chickpeas)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
salt - to taste
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp oil
juice of half a lemon

Preparation:

Heat oil in a kadai and add cumin seeds. Once they start to splutter add chopped onion. Saute until translucent and add tomatoes. Cook for few mins, then mix in the sprouts and season with salt and chilli powder. Don't cook for long. The heat from onion-tomato mixture will cook the sprouts. Turn off the heat and add lemon juice. Mix well. Cool.

...as a filling, salad, side dish.. this dish is versatile to be served as anything...

Assemble: When ready to serve, top each of the besan katoris with sprouts filling + some fresh cilantro and serve them on a platter.

...Served! Holi hai!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is Recipe 21 added to my 2013 Recipe Archive. Check out the rest of the recipes too!

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Make a difference to lives of those girls who have no family of their own to celebrate Holi except for each other. Would you spare to donate a few rupees (or dollars) so that their school fees are paid for and they can aspire for brighter future? Please press the "Give Now" button and share about Vaidehi Ashram (More information  Click here) with your friends and family. Thanks in advance.

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