Papad

Papad is a thin, round wafer made from a dried lentil, chickpea, or black gram flour dough, rolled paper-thin and sun-dried, then cooked just before serving by roasting directly over a flame, toasting under a grill, or deep-frying until it puffs and turns crisp. It's a common accompaniment to Indian meals, served alongside dal and rice, crumbled over a dish for crunch, or eaten on its own as a snack with chutney or pickle. The dried discs are sold uncooked in stacks, and the cooking method changes the texture noticeably: flame-roasting gives a lighter, blistered crispness, while frying puffs it into a fuller, more substantial crunch.

Store the dried, uncooked discs in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, where they'll keep for months, since moisture is what ruins them before they're cooked. At 371 calories per 100 g it's dense, with 25.6 g of protein, 18.6 g of fiber at 66% DV, and iron at 43% DV, but it also carries 1,740 mg of sodium per 100 g, considerably higher than most foods on this list, so it works best as a small side rather than a main component of a meal. Breaking one or two discs into smaller pieces to scatter over a dish, rather than eating a whole stack, keeps a serving modest.