Indian Recipes
Puppadums
How to cook ready-made poppadoms three ways (microwave, gas flame or fried) plus a quick fresh masala topping.
- Serves 4
- Ready in 10 min
- Cook 1 min each
- Indian
Method
Microwave (no oil): put one or two poppadoms at a time on a plate lined with kitchen paper and cook on full power for 40–60 seconds until they have puffed and turned pale all over. Microwaves vary, so watch the first one.
Gas flame: hold a poppadom with tongs just above a low flame, turning and moving it constantly, for 20–30 seconds until blistered and crisp all over.
Fried (the restaurant way): heat the oil in a wok or wide pan to 180 °C. Slide in one poppadom at a time; it will expand within 3–5 seconds. Press it under with a slotted spoon for a second, then lift out and drain upright on kitchen paper.
For masala papad, mix the onion, tomato, chilli and coriander with the lemon juice and a pinch of salt and chilli powder. Spoon over the poppadoms just before serving so they stay crisp.
Tip: tap a step to tick it off as you cook.
Chef’s notes
- Cooked poppadoms keep crisp for a day in an airtight tin.
- Hot oil is dangerous: never leave the pan unattended. The frying oil is optional and not included in the cost.
How this recipe was developed
The old Cookeryonline page reproduced a published recipe, so we wrote a new one. We set out the three standard ways to cook bought poppadoms, with a masala topping from a well-known Indian recipe site.
- Microwave timing. Madhur Jaffrey microwaves pappadoms on kitchen paper for 40–60 seconds (Epicurious).
- Masala papad. The onion, tomato and chilli topping follows Hebbar’s Kitchen.
Sources we compared (ratings as shown on each site on 31 October 2026):
- Epicurious (Madhur Jaffrey): Pappadoms or papar/papad
- Hebbar's Kitchen (Archana Hebbar): Masala papad
This is an original Cookeryonline recipe written in our own words. Ingredient choices and techniques are credited above; no source text has been copied.