I have been making poppadums to eat before or with my curries for many years and they have been pretty good, but not quite right (where have we heard that phrase before?).
I have always followed the method that gave me the best results years ago and always thought, perhaps it isn't possible to get them just right at home.
The method I used for years is:
Heat some deep oil until when you can drop a small piece of poppadum in and it cooks and expands immediately. Then hold one poppadum in the oil with tongues for a few seconds until it starts to expand and curl up, and then quickly and carefully turn it over and cook for a further few seconds, remove from the oil and stand vertically in a toast rack or something similar on some kitchen paper to allow oil to drain off. I must have made thousands like that, but they were never perfect.
UNTIL, recently, I asked at my local what make of poppadums they use. Rajah they said. So off I went to find some Rajah poppadums, thinking this might be the difference, as I had never seen or tried them. Anyway, I found some without much problem. Just out of interest I read the cooking instructions. I FOUND WHERE I HAD BEEN GOING WRONG.
HEAT THE OIL TO SMOKING POINT.
That's it (you probably all new this, but I didn't) Now my poppadums do not have that powdery sort of starchy taste and expand to the size of restaurant ones and are lighter.
I then tried my usual brand "Ruby" using the smoking oil method and they turned out just as good.
Hope this helps somebody,
Blondie