Gujarati Rice Khichu / Papdi No Lot Recipe

Khichu or Papdi no lot is a healthy and delicious rice dish. Basically, it is a steamed rice flour dough, a traditional and very popular dish from the Gujarati Cuisine that can be served as a tea-time snack, at breakfast or as a light meal at any time of the day. Gujarati rice khichu is a vegan, gluten-free and saatvik dish (onion-garlic free). When shaped as a doghnut, the dish looks very appealing. It tastes best when served steaming hot topped with some oil or ghee, a spicy chutney or pickle masala. I have served it with Sesame seeds chutney and ghee.

What is Papdi No Lot?

Now, i being a typical Maharashtrian, do not know much about Papdi no lot. I have just tasted khichu once or twice at one of my Gujju friend, Shradha's house some 8 years back. I have referred the recipe from my fellow blogger Mayuri di who is a Gujarati herself and i am sharing the information i got to know from her. You can check her post on papdi no lot by clicking here. 

Khichu or papdi no lot is enjoyed as a healthy and delicious snack by most of the Gujarati families, but actually speaking, the spiced rice flour dough is steamed to make papdi or rice crackers during summer season. Papdi is the rice cracker that is made by rolling out the steamed rice flour dough (papdi no lot) into a circle of 5-6 diameter, sundrying it and then roasting it over open fire. The roasted rice papdi is served with khichdi. Since papdis made from papdi no lot were made in large quantities that would last for the whole year, making papdis was a family affair during Summer Sesaon and enjoying steaming hot papdi no lot became a ritual of papdi making.

This reminds me of a similar ritual we Maharashtrians follow while we make the Nachni (Ragi) papad during summer and enjoy eating steaming hot "Khishi" the steamed ragi flour dough that is actually meant to roll out to make ragi papad on cooling :) I guess, this is what we call unity in diversity. Different cultures across India following similar rituals and traditions.

How to make Gujarati Rice Khichu / Papdi No Lot

Papdi no lot is a healthy steamed dish that requires few ingredients that are always present in an Indian Kitchen pantry. Rice flour is added to boiling water that is seasoned with salt and some spices and cooked to form a dough. Small portions of this dough are shaped into doughnut on cooling a bit and steamed in a steamer. This steamed doghnut (papdi no lot) is served steaming hot, topped with little oil with some spicy chutney or pickle masala.

Dietary Notes:

Papdi no lot or the Rice Khichu is

• Gluten-free
• Vegan
• Saatvik (onion-garlic free)
• Healthy
• Kid friendly

Serving Suggestions:

Papdi no lot is served steaming hot. If you make it ahead of time or have some left overs, just warm it in the steamer before serving. It is topped with oil (use any neutral cooking oil) and served with spicy garlic chutney pickle masala or red chily powder. My little one and myself enjoyed papdi no lot with some ghee and Til chutney.

Related Event:

It is month-end and time to post for my Facebook gourmet group, Shhhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge. This group was started by Priya's versatile recipes and taken further to date by Mayuri di who blogs at Mayur'sjikoni. As mentioned earlier, i have referred this papdi no lot dish from her blog. I have also bookmarked Methi Muthia Tuvar Nu Shaak, yet another gujarati delicacy to try out soon. The theme for the month of July was steamed foods suggested by Anu Kollon. She has many healthy and traditional South Indian dishes on her blog like this Idiyappam and vegetable stew , a steamed breakfast dish from Kerala that are worth trying. 

In this group, each member takes turns to propose the theme for the month. All participating members are divided into pairs and both partners exchange a set of secret ingredients using which, both have to prepare a dish as per the theme. The other members of the group then take turns to guess the two secret ingredients just by looking at the pic of the dish. Doesn;t all this sound interesting! If you are a blogger and wish to join this group, do let us know in the comment section below. My partner for this month was Jayashree who is a versatile blogger and blogs at Evergreendishes. I gave Jayashree corn and oil as her secret ingredients and she made delicious Corn Dhokla using it. In return she gave me carom seeds and green chilies as my secret ingredients and i made rice Khichu. Do check out Jayashree's space for wonderful recipes from around the globe. Her, easy poha idli recipe is on my to-do list next.

                                                 

Breakfast Series@HealthyWealthyCuisines

I am also a part of another Facebook Gourmet group, Healthy Wealthy Cuisines, where a group of like minded bloggers share their culinary skills in the formof recipes on pre decided themes, every fortnight. Breakfast Series is the current theme suggested by a talented and versatile food blogger, Preethi di who blogs at PreethisCuisine. Preethi di suggested that we share any food recipe that is served for breakfast. This healthy steamed dish, Rice Khichu from the Gujarati Cuisine is my contribution towards the theme. meanwhile do check out Preethi di's space for authentic South Indian dishes, and other easy-to-do recipes from around the globe. I have bookmarked her Ragi Mudde, a healthy dish made using Ragi from Karnataka Cuisine. You may also want to check out the following creations from my fellow bloggers on the Breakfast Series theme.

• Lentils and Spring Onions PanCakes by Preethi di
  
• Poha idli by Jayashree
  
• Vegan Sandwich Dhokla by Vanitha di
  
• Whole Wheat Milk Bread with Mixed Seeds by Sujata di
  
• Paneer Pyaaz Paratha by Shalu di
  
• Quinoa Upma by Sasmita

                                       

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 12 small pieces

Ingredients: Measurements used 1 cup = 240ml

• 1 cup rice flour
• 2 cups water
• 2 teaspoon oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds/ jeera
• 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds/Til
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon crushed green chilies
• 1/2 teaspoon carom seeds/ajwain
• 3-4 roughly crushed black pepper corns
• A pinch of soda bicarbonate

Method:

1. Heat water in a thick bottom sauce pan over medium heat. Once the water starts boiling add cumin seeds, carom seeds and sesame seeds to it. Allow it to boil until the water turns yellowish green in color.

2. To this, add crushed green chili, oil, crushed black pepper, salt and a pinch of sodium bicarbonate. Immediately add the rice flour.

3. Stir with a greased wooden ladle or rolling pin until the flour mixes well with the water. It will appear sticky and lumpy mass. Put off the flame and allow the dough to cool down enough to handle it by removing it in a wide plate.

4. Smear your palms and knead the dough a bit to smoothen it. Make 10-12 equal potions of the dough and roll it out into a small ball. Flatten it slightly and make a hole in the middle using your finger or thumb. It will look like a doughnut. Keep greasing your hands with oil if the dough appears sticky.

5. Now, keep water in the steamer and allow it to boil. Once the steamer is ready place the dough balls on the steamer tray. Cover the steamer with a lid and steam the dough for 12-15 minutes on medium heat.

6. Serve the healthy and delicious papdi no lot with oil, garlic chutney or some pickle masala and enjoy with your loved ones!

 

                           

Recipe Notes:

• Papdi no lot is served steaming hot. If you make it ahead of time or have some left overs, just warm it in the steamer before serving.
• It is topped with oil (use any neutral cooking oil) and served with spicy garlic chutney pickle masala or red chily powder.
• A small pinch of sodium bicabonate is just perfect for 1 cup of rice flour. If you add more, the khichu may not hold the doghnut shape while steaming. Also do not increase the amount of water used for making khichu dough than that is mentioned in the recipe. 
• You may add more chilies or whole spices or reduce it as per your spice tolerance.

I hope a few of you would love to try out this recipe. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with us in the form of likes and comments in the comment section below this post. All your suggestions are also more than welcome. If you like my work and feel it is worth following, do hit the follow button at the top right corner of this blog. Your appreciation means a lot to me. For more recipes and new updates follow us on social media.

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For more steamed recipes, do check out the following links

• Multigrain Methia Muthia

                            

• Khaman Dhokla

                          

• Gujarati Handvo

                          

• Steamed Dahi Bhalla

                                   

• Purnache Dind - Steamed Sweet Bengal Gram Parcels
  

                           

• Barnyard Millet Idli 

                          

• Oats Dalia Idli

                          

• Whole Wheat Vegetable Momos

                                

• Ammini Kozhukattai - Seasoned Steamed Rice Flour Balls