have you ever heard of panki? despite being a big gujarati food fan (i just love snacks like dhokla, khandvi and patro), i'd never come across this dish until i went to swati snacks last weekend. swati is a gujarati canteen where the decor is minimal though modern and all the focus is on the food which is wonderfully authentic.
i was in a mood for the usual chaat fare (hardly authentic but i love paani puri nonetheless and just had to try it!) as i had been hearing so much about how swati snacks is so much better than my favourite kailash parbhat. i was looking through the menu while waiting to be seated - apparently there's never a time or day at swati when the queue is not all the way till bhatia hospital at tardeo - when the word panki jumped out and caught my fancy. i had absolutely no idea what it was and didn't ask either as i wanted to surprise myself.
i was most intrigued when a plate arrived with banana leaves, green chutney and marinated green chillies. i cautiously opened the banana leaves to find some sort of steamed pancakes between the layers. the pancakes were unbelievably thin and it was real fun to use my fingers to tear off panki bits, dip in chutney and enjoy the delicate taste of this unusual dish. the green chutney was especially salt, tangy and piquant which was a terrific complement to the intentioanlly bland panki.
my mom had ordered the dill panki which was even more tasty than my moong dal one. the dill gave the panki a lovely aroma in addition to an unusual texture. i've since discovered that the panki is swati snack's signature dish and even though this authentic gujarati restaurant has changed its menu over the years, the panki has remained the absolute favourite amongst the loyal clientele.
in case the chutney is a too spicy for you, wash down your panki with a glass of chilled sugarcane fizz. what a treat!
swat snacks
248 karai estate
tardeo road
bombay
+91-22-2352-6411
8 comments:
yummy.... never had that though I have lived in gujrat for a decade.
Oh and BTW, bay area Indian food sucks... groan
oh boy Lulu...am really losing touch with my Gujju culture...I don't think I have had this before..Is it a fusion dish that has come up recently you think? Must find out...!
thanks! Hope you're feeling well these days..must be getting quite warm eh?
Hmmm... is it like elai vadam?
lulu
you get panki at 'soam' too.during one of my visits to 'soam' last year i had banana panki.it contains raw bananas or kaccha kela.
hi shri,
it's kinda like elai vadam but much tastier because of the flavours..
Hi Lulu,
I like the idea of you wanting to surprise yourself with the panki.: )
It never ceases to amaze me how the humble crepe/pancake/blintz (whatever one chooses to call it) has its place in the cuisine of almost every country in the world. And I love eating food steamed in banana leaves. I can imagine the earthy and nutty aroma the leaves must lend to the pankis. Yum!
I’ve sampled pancakes from over a dozen different cuisines, using a variety of vegetables, seafood and meat combinations and have enjoyed them all. As far as panki goes, I’ve had corn panki in the past, recipe courtesy: Tarla Dalal’s “Exciting vegetarian cooking”. It was simple,delicious and nutritious, and the chutney my mom made for it was SUPER hot, just the way I like it. I can’t wait to try the pankis at Swati. Both the flavor combinations you’ve mentioned sound interesting. Do they offer garlic pankis?-SG.
hi sg,
yes, indeed, garlic pankis are on the menu!
went there last week during a short visit to Mumbai. Unbelieveable. Best Indian EVER. Loved it.
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