Papri and Daran for Malido

August 6, 2022

Papdi to eat with Malido from the famous Vividh Vani cookbook

Recipe translated from Gujarati to English by Rita Jamshed Kapadia

Click here for the Guide to Old Measures

Ingredients

1 tipri Wheat Flour (See tipri measure)

1/4 lb Sugar (fine barik)

Method

Mix above with little water to make a very tight dough. Keep for 1 hour and then roll out into very thin 3 inch rounds.

Prick holes in papdi so that it does not fluff up.

Heat pure ghee and fry in deep kadai till golden brown and crispy.

Drain on paper towels and let cool, dry. Do not pack away, keep open for 3 hours.

If making “Farmaasu” papdi use milk instead of water to make the dough and add the following:

2 tola Ghee

4 Egg Yolks

1/4 tsp ground caraway seeds

1/4 tsp ground cardamon

Milk to make the dough

Method

Mix above with little water to make a very tight dough. Keep for 1 hour and then roll out into very thin 3 inch rounds.

Prick holes in papdi so that it does not fluff up.

Heat pure ghee and fry in deep kadai till golden brown and crispy.

Drain on paper towels and let cool, dry. Do not pack away, keep open for 3 hours.

Note the vividh vani recipe does NOT mention salt. Modern day cooks do add salt to papdi. Never in a Daran.

Useful Tips

  • Use luke warm water to make the dough and cook them on slow heat it will come out very flaky

  • Prick the papri with a fork so they do not fluff up while frying, and will fry crisp. Drain and cool well before storing

  • Roll papdi as thin as possible

  • While preparing the dough add ghee and rub it in the flour  to get crumb consistency than add water & knead into tight dough.

  • Don’t use any ghee or oil while making dough

  • While frying, you have to press the papri


Traditions

  • Traditionaly, for a khushali nu jashan, there would be just Malido, no papris and no darans, those were included only for the ‘baj’ -prayers for the departed souls – people even include Sev, Ravo and Golab nu Sherbet for the khushali nu jashan.

  • In a khushali nu jashan should you put Malido as an offering or is it Ravo ? – Both. A little of each can be put as an offering just like with various fruits and nuts.


What’s the difference between papri and daran to eat with malido?

  • Papri is fried like a puri.

  • Papri is sweet.

  • Farmasu Papri is made with milk, egg yolk, caraway seed and cardamon.

  • Daran are like small rotlis or chappaties slightly thicker and roasted on a tava.

  • Daran is not salted ever. No is salt added and roasted like rotli


Daran also called Sacred Bread

by Edv. Ramiyar Karanjia

The dron or daran is used in all inner rituals like Baj-dharna, Yasna and Vendidad. The word dron is derived from
Avesta draonah, and is used in the sense of ‘a part, a portion’ offered through consecration in a ritual, to divine beings.
The word dron is variously rendered into English as ‘sacred bread’, ‘sacramental bread’, ‘unleavened round bread’, ‘consecrated bread’, ‘sacred cake’ or ‘wheat cake’.

Dron dough balls are flattened with a velan (metallic rolling pin). Sometimes a special rolling pin with metallic beads is used. The clinging sound it makes is supposed to keep away evil while preparation is in progress. The dron are preferably cooked on wooden fires, even in modern times. Traditionally, dron are exclusively prepared by male or female members of the priestly class and are generally made fresh each day and not re-used.

One dron is used in the performance of all inner rituals, except for the Baj-dharna ceremony, in which four or six are used for each performance. Four different types of dron are used in the Baj-dharna ceremony.

One type has 9 marks on it, referred to as ‘names’. In Gujarati they are referred to as nam padela (one that has been given a name) or nam vala (one with a name) daran. The ‘names’ refer to the 3 marks that are made with a rolling pin or tip of a knife while the dough is being rolled out.

The marks are made in three rows, starting from down to up while thrice uttering the Avestan words, “Humata, Hukhta, Huvarshta.” Frasast is the name applied to plain dron, which do not have any marks on it. However nowadays, there is no difference between dron and frasast as mostly unmarked dron are used. Chitya are the smaller dron about 3 inches in diameter, which are used for specific Baj dharna performances.

In Iran, the term luwag was used to refer to a big dron. It could be made from any flour. In India, in the Baj of Siroza somewhat larger and sweeter drons are consecrated, which may be a reflection of the Iranian practice of keeping luwag.


Dron or Daran (unleavened sacramental) bread recipe

Makes 10-12

by Katy P. Karanjia, India

2 Cups wheat flour

as required water

½ tbsp ghee

1. Place wheat flour in a thali (metallic plate) and add 4-6 tablespoons/60-90 ml of water and make dough.
2. Knead till the dough is quite hard.
3. Add half a tablespoon of ghee and knead into the dough.
4. Make 10-12 small equal sized pieces from the dough.
5. Take a dough ball and roll with a pittal velan (metallic rolling pin) till it is about 5 inches/10 to 12 cm in diameter. It is best to roll on a metal surface. Do not use flour while rolling, a little ghee may be used if required.
6. Repeat till all the balls are rolled into discs. The discs may be kept in another plate.
7. Heat the disks on the tawaa (hot plate) and turn them with a tawatha (flat ladle). They should have some dazya (dark spots) on them.
8. The cooked dron have to be transferred to another plate. They should be kept separately and not piled one on top of another or they may stick together.

Papdi by Katy P. Karanjia, India

1 C white flour 110 g
2 C wheat flour 200 g
½ cup semolina 160 g
4 tbsp ghee 60 g
as needed water as needed
to taste salt to taste

1. Mix flour, wheat flour, semolina, and ghee with some water.
2. Knead in a plate to make firm dough.
3. Make 18 – 20 equal sized balls from the dough.
4. Roll the balls with a rolling pin till they are about 5 inches/10
centimeters in diameter.
5. Shallow fry or deep fry the rolled disks according to taste.
Makes 18-20


 

 

Sources

FEZANA, 2012 EAT, LIVE, PRAY: A celebration of Zarathushti culture and cuisine 67 (free eBook click here)

Click here for the Guide to Old Measures

Vividh Vani Cookbook

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