Down to Earth Organic Papadum - Green Gram (Moong) Plain product reviews

I am a big fan of papadum - well really the indian restaurant poppadums I am used to but these were a whole new level of amazing! Sadly I still struggle with the spelling like hummous

I have tried a few down to earth products and they are high quality across the board. I like the simple packaging and they were a bit smaller than I expected but they tasted so great it was fine and you get a lot in the packet.

So the instructions say there are several ways to prepare these and I tried the shallow fry (bit greasy for me) an then microwave (not crunchy enough). The real find for the perfect way to prepare these for me (and we ate them all this way once we tried it!). I tried putting them in the panini maker in grill mode. Truly amazing! The flavour was perfect for these. They were crunchy and broke up in a good way. They were a great addition and I will be buying them again. I am also keen to try the other flavour they make as well.

I had friends over for dinner (curry) and they actually asked what kind of papadums they were as they were so yummy (we ended up making more!). The grilled version was so easy to make and tasted really nice. The taste was truly unique and I really loved them. I am now super keen to try the other flavour. We loved these and they were a real hit with every one that tried them and you get lots in the pack.

There is not a lot I love more at an Indian restaurant or with an Indian meal than to accompany it with papadoms and naan bread. However these papadums are a little different to the usual ones that you have as they are made from green dal and have cumin seeds all mixed in, so I was interested in seeing what difference it may make in terms of taste, cooking and also strength, as you cannot have weak papadums that break!

These little babies can be cooked a few different ways which is outlined with easy guidance on the box. I usually either microwave or shallow fry mine when I make them, so opted to keep it simple and try those two methods first. Microwave took about 20 seconds per side, and shallow frying took even less once the oil is hot. Both have a nice finish and taste - personally, as I do not like waiting, I prefer the microwave version as they do not have to rest and let the oil be absorbed. However, the shallow fry ones did look nicer and have a bit crunchier crunch, if that makes sense!!

As well as using these in a traditional way, I opted to use them as kinda of a chip type idea - breaking them into smaller pieces and popping avocado on top. Absolute delicious snack to have like that too - and the kids enjoyed me putting them into there snack boxes for after school snacks on the way to or from sports. One thing I really loved about that was that they were not crumbly and messy!

In terms of taste I did feel like it could have more, as it was quite plain and neutral - however, that is not necessarily a bad thing - it does mean that they do not detract from the true flavour of the main meal. All in all I found these really nice and can see them sneaking into my shopping regularly.

We have our favourite Indian restaurant and I am always guaranteed to order two things, the first is a mango lassi and the second is papadums (including some to take home afterwards, cause I love them so much). The packet gives you directions to make these five different ways, over a flame, grilling, microwave, in a pan or deep fried. I opted for the microwave option for two reasons, the first being that my kids would be able to do it without needing me watching them and secondly being that it means less oil in our diet. Plus, I like nice and easy with minimal mess.

I worked out that I can do twenty seconds, flip, twenty seconds, flip, rest for ten seconds and then heat it for another twenty seconds, giving me a papadum that is cooked through, nice and crispy and not burnt at all. Win! Trying this, I enjoyed the overall taste, I found there was a hint of spice to it but it was just that, a hint, so nothing to put me off trying it. Both my papadum loving children enjoyed it as well, I found that this was pretty close in flavour to the ones I get from my local Indian restaurant, which was a plus for me. They were all in one piece, which adds in its favour. Price wise these work out well, I could get the same quantity, ready to eat, from my local but this packet has the benefit of being at home and thus a saving on petrol. I think I will be buying this again.

The fact that there are so many ways to prepare these is fantastic - over a flame, grill, microwave, pan or deep fry with times varying from a few seconds up to about 25 seconds makes this a very handy snack to have sitting in the pantry. It is so versitile that you can have on its own, with sauce as a dip or with a meal prepared using it as the base line or as a addition.

Tonight we had satay chicken with rice along with these to add just that little bit more substance. The papadums tasted great broken up and mixed with the satay sauce. They also came in handy while scooping up the rice and the chicken. The taste didn't over power the dish at all and instead worked with the combination perfectly.

We choose to deep fry in oil - placing it in the pan it bubbles right up and curls in the corners. A quick flip with the same results and the whole procedure takes less than 20 seconds total. I find I prefer it stays in that little bit longer and browns right up. It recommends sitting around for about an hour on absorbent paper to help drain the oil but we prefer to drain for about a minute and eat straight away so its still warm. I also threw one in the microwave to see the difference, as there is actually a lot of difference taste wise. Where as we prefer the deep fry method I find microwaving brings out its true taste. It recommends 20 seconds each side but as out wattage is less I do for 30 seconds each way.

I found it rather yuck and a plainish taste but when I added the pineapple and coconut yoghurt it is an extremely yummy dish with no greasy residue at all. This is perfect for an after school/work snack or an alternative to chips and dip while watching a movie and better yet you get to have heaps of yoghurt which is better for you.

I like that there is no spice or heat in these ones so works better with flavourable meals it also works better as a snack as you are not fighting flavours. Its extremely quick to prepare and they are the perfect size and fit on your plate better. Throw in they are organic and its up to you what way to prepare it, it really is the ideal item. I think out of all the 3 flavours this is the one I will stick with.

My taste bubs always get so happy when I eat Papadum and when I used to work in the restaurant as a chef it was always a treat I would put one in the deep fryer to snack on. I also love when used as the shell with pulled pork dishes or Mexican or anything really. They go so well with many different flavours so I was excited to get the Down to Earth Organic Papadum - Green Gram (Moong) Plain flavour in the box of goodies to review.

Straight away it brought back the yummy kitchen days and eating them in the restaurant. I knew my family would enjoy them just as much as me and I was so right. They really enjoyed it and wanted more and were amazed to not have tried it before. My partner made the comment that I need to be buying these more often now.

I really liked these for my older son who loves chips like all the time so this mixes it up a bit. I also gave it a go cooking them in the air fryer and they worked fine. I love the quick and easiness of cooking them and the crunch they bring and how they can be used with so many different dinners, dips, snacks or or there own. I will be looking out for these to buy in the next shop. I had never thought about buying them at home and forgot how easy they were to cook up.

In our family we all love crackers and crisps with a variety of dips, pates and cheeses so when we visit one another we often arrive with the makings of a platter. On reading the information on the Green Gram Plain Papadum packet, I realised that this would be a great alternative to the crackers-and-crisps idea. As a bonus, it would be a healthier option for those of us who are slightly over our optimum weight! And because this variety is plainer than others in the range, it would not mask the flavour of the other foods. Best of all, the price is competitive - in fact, I think it would work out cheaper than what might be paid for an average bag of crisps.

We made up some platters with several kinds of cheese, chunks of focaccia, pork terrine, herb butter, and home-made garlic dip. Lastly, I microwaved the papads and broke them into largish pieces. They broke cleanly without spreading crumbs everywhere, and I scattered them among the other items on each platter. There were 12 people present (including children) so this would provide lots of feedback as they grazed.

Before trying the papads with any other combination, everyone was asked to have a taste of the product on its own. Reactions varied from "pleasantly salty" to "can just taste the spices" to "can I have another one?". Nobody gave a negative response, not even Miss Four who likes her food plain and boring. In fact, she asked if she could have another one to herself as she did not want any of the yukky stuff on the platter!

In effect, I could have done the review with far fewer people as most of them were in agreement anyway. One even put a little apricot jam on his and said it was yummy, but nobody else wanted to try that combination! Brie was a winner - we had left it out of the fridge to soften so it was easy to dip a papad piece into it. I had to top up the brie as it was going faster than the other items. The blue cheese, however, was rather too strong and overwhelmed the delicate flavour of the papads, so we decided that could be used only in very small quantities. The terrine (again in small quantities), garlic dip, and herb butter were all universally popular.

Now that I know how successful this product is when used in this manner, I am going to try some other combinations. I am interested to try it with a topping of cheese and pimientos, or anchovies with a scrape of pate. There are lots of possibilities given the mild flavour of the papads and the strength of the cooked product; it holds its shape well and does not disintegrate when combined with other soft foods. A must on my shopping list for the future.