Papad Lasagna
Papad lasagna- YES you read that right! Lasagna is perfection but let’s take it up a notch and make this fusion. Lasagna using papad!! A papad is a thin, crisp, round flatbread from India- only in this case we won’t make it crisp. The layers you ask- spinach and papad, rice and paneer burji tikka masala. Drooling yet? This is such a unique dish and it is so delicious! My mother helped me come up with this it was so much fun planning this first of a kind dish together long distance. When i first made this my husband and I finished the entire bowl in one day! The flavors just work so well together and it’s going to surprise everyone so you need to try this! It is also gluten-free!
Happy Cooking!
Servings: 4-5
Prep Time: 15-20 mins
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1.5 hours
Ingredients:
Spinach papad layer-
1 medium/large onion chopped
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp Jeera
1/2 small stick cinnamon
1 cardamom
1 -2 small green Chilli chopped
1 cloves garlic chopped
2 inch Ginger chopped
1/4 tsp Garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cumin powder
1/4 tsp hing
1/4 tsp pepper
1-2 tsp Red chilli powder
2-3 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp black salt
2 medium Tomato chopped
180-200g Spinach leaves
2 tbsp chopped coriander
1/4 cup water
1.5 tbsp vegetable oil
8-10 medium sized Urad dal Papad
Rice layer:
1.5-.75 cup boiled basmati rice
Tikka masala layer:
1 1/3-1/2 cup tikka masala sauce
1/3 cup milk
150g Paneer
1-2 tsp Salt to taste
To bake:
1/4-1/2 cup shredded mozzarella/amul cheese
Directions:
Prepare the tikka masala gravy. Full recipe here. Add 1/3 cup of milk to the tikka masala. Keep side.
Boil rice and keep aside.
Prepare the spinach gravy: In a pan add the oil.
Once it warms add the chopped onions and dry spices- cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cinnamon stick and cardamon.
Cook it till the onions start to become translucent. It can take 3-4 mins. Add the chopped chilli, garlic and ginger and cook it all together.
When the onions are well cooked and translucent add the dry spices- Hing, turmeric, red chilli powder, garam masala and cumin powder. Add the salt, black salt and pepper and mix it all together for 1 min.
Add the chopped tomatoes and cook till they start breaking down. It can take 5-8 mins.
Add the spinach leaves and cook it till they are wilted and everything is well combined.
Add the coriander leaves and water and mix it in.
Let it cool and pulse it into a smooth gravy. The gravy will not be very thin and a thick gravy. Keep aside.
Warm the tikka masala sauce. Crumble the paneer and mix it with the tikka masala sauce. Add salt as per taste.
Preheat oven to 360F.
Papad- In a flat pan add 3 inch of water and let it come to a low boil. Take one papad at a time and tip it in the water. Make sure it is well submerged and let it cook for 30-60 seconds till the entire papad is soft. Use a pair of tongs to handle them. Take them out and keep flat on a plate. Repeat for all papad and stack. Be fast as they will start sticking to each other. You can brush some oil between them to keep them apart.
Layering the lasagna-
In an oven safe dish, layer the lasagna. Take one softened papad and spread 1-2 tbsp of spinach gravy on one half of the papad. Fold it over to form a semicircle. I like to fill the papads in the dish itself as it gets very soft and can break if moved around. Make the first layer with half of the papads.
The next Layer is a thin layer of rice. I used about 3/4 cup of rice for each rice layer.
Next layer with half of the paneer tikka masala.
Repeat the spinach papad layer( I fill the papads for this layer as well in the dish itself) then rice and end with with the paneer tikka Masala layer.
Sprinkle some grated cheese over.
Bake at 360F for 15 mins. Broil on high for 3-4 mins and serve warm.
Notes/Tips:
Make sure the edges of the papad also softens in the boiling water so that it is not raw.
It is okay if the papad is a little torn because it is hidden inside.
You can use store bought tikka masala if you want- just make sure its liquid enough. Add more milk if need be.
You can make this before and keep. Just keep it refrigerated/frozen. If you freeze it make sure you thaw it and then bake for longer. You will need to bake it for a little longer even if refrigerated.
You can use jeera rice or a simple peas pulao if you want as the rice layer.
Use tofu instead of paneer if you want.
