Papad, the humble lentil flour based snack has different names around the country. At some parts it is an integral part of the meal and at other it is just an appetizer. Whatever be the preferences, Papad has been part of Indian cuisine for what seems like forever.
Earlier it used to be made at households itself and the whole family would participate in its preparation but over the times, with life getting busier and busier and the families becoming smaller, the production has moved to larger manufacturing units where it is churned out in bulk for customers near and far.
Every place has their own version of papad but it is the papad from Bikaner that has hogged much attention because of its quintessential flavour. Consumed in different forms, here it is an indispensable part of the cuisine.
To understand the essence of the Bikaneri papad, during our food trail in Bikaner, we had visited the manufacturing unit of Papadmalji, which is one of the leading papad and moongodi brands in the state. Our focus was to witness it on a large scale.
Papadmalji was established in 1962 by Shri Dau Lal ji Aggarwal and his wife Smt. Chanda Devi Aggarwal and is currently being managed by Jai Aggarwal. What started off as a small enterprise is currently a renowned name in the realm of namakeen and papad.
It is a huge facility that caters to the growing demand from both near and far. On reaching there we met Prem Singh ji, the senior most employee of the company who has been serving since the beginning. Next we met Sunil Ji and Manoj ji who gave us an immersive tour of the factory.
It was fascinating to witness the smooth mechanical production right from the scratch.
This made us realise that the great popularity of their papad can be attributed to two main things. First is the use of best quality ingredients sourced from places where they are popular and second is the every ingredients be it lentil, spices or activated charcoal is processed in the factory itself. This helps in maintaining the quality.
Furthermore during the tasting session at the end of our visit we got to know more details about this favourite snack like the difference between the varieties, the exclusivity of ingredients etc.
Watch till the end to enjoy this crisp and fun culinary journey.
To order papad, visit the link - https://amzn.to/3ewQJM6