How do you like your puppadoms and naan bread?

[Sandra Piddock]

Many Indian restaurants restaurants in the UK and Europe serve puppadoms as starters, and naan bread with the meal, but an Indian friend says they've always used them in the place of or alongside forks, to scoop up the food.

That's actually how I prefer to eat them anyway, but my husband used to say it was bad manners. Now that our friend has told him different, he leaves me in peace to enjoy my food as I like to. What about you? are your puppadoms scoops or starters?

 

[Arch]

Both! If eating out, they'll be starters, but at home, if we have them, they are alongside the main dish.

Mmmm., poppadoms!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I can't stand poppadom's (probably due to the grease in them) but love naan breads (even make my own as much as possible). We both use naan breads instead of a spoon/fork and eat food 'off' them. We use "normal" bread that way as well with stews and soups, though our eating habits often offend even my mother ("knife and fork dear, we are not monkeys!") and often eat using just a spoon nothing else.
Truth is that I can quite easily just eat naan breads by themselves though!

 

[Night Train]

Both! If eating out, they'll be starters, but at home, if we have them, they are alongside the main dish.

Same here.
I like naan breads with the meal, for scooping up sauce. I also like chapatis for eating with my hand when company dictates it is appropriate.

I remember a kebab shop in London that served shish and donner kebabs in a folded Naan bread. Very very filling.

 

[Joe D]

If I get a take away they always give you poppadoms even if you don't specifically order them and mango chutney etc for dipping. If I'm making my own curry at home I'll buy supermarket naans for dipping in and I'll even get some chunks of chicken, wrap them in a piece of naan, dip it in then shove the whole lot in my gub. I tried making my own chapattis but didn't have the correct flour which I now have but have still to try it.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

If I get a take away they always give you poppadoms even if you don't specifically order them and mango chutney etc for dipping. If I'm making my own curry at home I'll buy supermarket naans for dipping in and I'll even get some chunks of chicken, wrap them in a piece of naan, dip it in then shove the whole lot in my gub. I tried making my own chapattis but didn't have the correct flour which I now have but have still to try it.

chapattis are stunningly easy to make, just add water to the flour plus a touch of salt to form a smooth dough that is not sticky. Kneed for 10 mins, rest for 30 mins and then roll out as flat as you can make them - as flat as possible otherwise they don't cook properly or separate in the middle - a quick cook on a flat griddle over a high heat has them cooked in no time.

(We purchase chappati flour from Morrisons for those after some - otherwise you can use normal wholemeal flour but it needs to be very finely ground and then seived).

 

[Sandra Piddock]

I think I'll try to make my own chapattis next time we have an Indian. I prefer them to naan breads - they're lighter, and not so filling. That sounds really easy, Satnav - thanks for the tip.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I think I'll try to make my own chapattis next time we have an Indian. I prefer them to naan breads - they're lighter, and not so filling. That sounds really easy, Satnav - thanks for the tip.

no problems - we find 8oz flour makes about 4 sensible sized ones. you will know when they are cooked, they puff up.
the 30 mins rest is best done in lightly oiled clingfilm in the fridge... kneed them well & make a dry dough, just adding a little extra water at a time, it does not need much. BBC site sums it up.

 

[Joe D]

I couldn't find proper chappati flour (aka atta flour) in Asda so I bought wholemeal flour but, as mentioned above, it is not fine enough. My chappati's were not right but still edible. I've since discovered that the bigger Tesco stores sell chappati flour so I bought a 1.5kg bag - plan to try it out at the weekend. I even bought a tava (flat pan) on ebay for making them. I love chappatis

 

[justiffa]

I like eating my pappadom with my beriani/ biryani (indian) or mandi (arab) rice. Bcos we mainly use our hands to eat here in the east, I love 'squishing' the crunchy pappadom along with every mouthful of rice so tht it makes this merry lil noises in my head when I chew lol (like when u're chewing potato chips).

And I agree, naan can be a bit too heavy for me so I prefer the chapatti... better yet, tosei would be my no. 1 choice

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I like eating my pappadom with my beriani/ biryani (indian) or mandi (arab) rice. Bcos we mainly use our hands to eat here in the east, I love 'squishing' the crunchy pappadom along with every mouthful of rice so tht it makes this merry lil noises in my head when I chew lol (like when u're chewing potato chips).

And I agree, naan can be a bit too heavy for me so I prefer the chapatti... better yet, tosei would be my no. 1 choice

Is tosei another name for Dosa because I really like those as well? I make my own dosa at home having purchased a tawa specifically for the purpose! (My griddle just didn't seem to work as well!)
My preference being for chapatti and dosa... (I have to make my own naan due to the dairy content and the variation whilst nice is never quite the same as authentic naan.

 

[justiffa]

Is tosei another name for Dosa because I really like those as well? I make my own dosa at home having purchased a tawa specifically for the purpose! (My griddle just didn't seem to work as well!)
My preference being for chapatti and dosa... (I have to make my own naan due to the dairy content and the variation whilst nice is never quite the same as authentic naan.

Oh...I didn't realize its also known as dosa/dosai (I googled and from the pics/recipe its one and the same), usually theres only a slight difference in the spelling and not a new word altogether but I guess we learn something new everyday Yup I love tosei/dosa in both its crispy & soft form.

The thing about Malaysia or any other Asian country for that matter, food is e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e and is easily accessible, be it hawker stalls, canteens, cafes, restaurants, hotels so that sometimes its so much easier to buy (freshly made & ready to eat) than to make it ourselves and the choice is endless - malay/indon, Chinese, indian, thai, Japanese, Korean, western etc

 

[rosacrux]

I am not Indian, but I like to use the naan bread to scoop up the food. A friend of mine taught me that you can also make this with the right hand. I do not think it is bad manners, millions of Indian people do it, and if you are at an Indian restaurant, waiters will not say anything about it.

 

[Fiorabelle]

I'll eat poppadoms on their own but prefer (depending on the establishment I'm eating at) to tear off smaller pieces of naan and to dip them in my curry. My family and friends all order their own curries, so there is no cross contamination to worry about ha ha. By the way my favorite naan is garlic naan, although my all time favorite side is potato paratha. That and onion bhaji.

 

[lizzief79]

It is true that poppadoms and naan breads are used to eat the food with rather than as starters and side dishes. However, I always eat my pappadums with various chutneys (tomato and chilli, mango, yoghurt and mint and lime pickle) and then order a peshwari naan bread (Filled with ground almonds and sultanas) to accompany my main course of chicken or lamb madras and pilau rice. My partner doesn't like poppadoms so he usually has a portion of onion bhajis followed by lamb rogan josh and boiled rice.