Gujarati Panki
Panki is a traditional Gujarati rice pancake made with a fermented batter that is steamed between banana leaves!
Panki has been a personal favorite snack of mine throughout 2018 and 2019. A spicy rice pancake served with green chutney and green chili pickle, it really is one of those dishes that you can eat for breakfast, lunch, tea-time snack or dinner!
Gujarat is popular for so many vegetarian-friendly recipes, and If I had to generalize a community, I’d probably say “gujjus” are among the best foodies in the country! Their love for food is well-documented, and be it Dhokla, Khandvi, Fafda or Dabeli, some of the most loved snack recipes originate from this Western state in India.
And for all the popular Gujarati recipes out there or served in restaurants, Panki has never really been mainstream. Very few restaurants around the country serve this, and even fewer people know about it. Which really is a shame, because it truly is one-of-a-kind!
If you’re aware of unique South-Indian recipes, you must know about Yelai Vadaam. And while the batter for this one takes a lot longer – what with soaking the rice, grinding, then fermenting over 4-5 days – a panki batter is quick and easy. It’s made with rice flour, and the sourness is derived from yogurt, lemon juice & an overnight fermentation. And if you’re pressed for time, you can honestly skip the overnight fermentation, and add more lemon juice!
Here’s a recipe video on how to make the panki –
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Gujarati Panki
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Vegetarian/ Vegan-friendly Gujarati Rice Panki is essentially a gluten-free pancake by steaming fermented batter in between banana leaves.
Ingredients
Basic Batter:
- 1 cup Rice Flour
- 1/4 tsp Salt (adjust to taste)
- 1/4 cup Sour Yogurt (plain curd)
- 1 1/2 cup Warm Water
Seasonings, once batter is fermented:
- 1/2 tsp Hing or Asafetida
- 1 Tbsp Ginger Garlic Chili Paste
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil or Melted Ghee
- 1/4 cup finely chopped Cilantro or Coriander leaves
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice (optional, if the batter isn’t fermented)
Other ingredients:
- Banana leaves
- Vegetable Oil
- Green Chutney, for serving
- Green Chili Pickle, for serving
Instructions
Batter:
- Mix together the rice flour and salt
- Add yogurt, warm water, and mix to form smooth, lump-free batter
- Cover & rest in a warm spot overnight or for 4-5 hours
- Add seasonings: turmeric powder, hing, ginger, garlic, chili paste, cumin seeds, melted ghee or oil, lemon juice (to adjust for sourness), cilantro or coriander leaves and mix well to form smooth batter
- The batter should be of pour-able consistency. If its too thick, add some water & loosen it. If its too runny, add a Tablespoon or more of rice flour, adjust seasoning & mix well.
Prepping the Banana Leaves:
- Wash banana leaves well
- Cut into pieces, making sure pair of the cut pieces are equal sized (such that one stacks on the other). You can cut into squares or rectangles (which is the easiest), or also cut out circles. Cut out the pieces based on how big you want each panki to be
- You can generally reuse the banana leave pairs a few times, but since its so cheap, just cut out as many pairs as you want to make
Cooking the Panki:
- Heat a tawa or a pan, brush with a little oil
- Place one piece of the cut out banana leaf, brush the top with oil
- Pour a ladle of the batter on the middle of the leaf, spread into a thin dosa-like shape
- Take the other pair of the banana leaf, brush a side with oil and place that oiled side onto the formed panki
- Cover with a lid & let it cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes
- Then flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes. You’re looking for the banana leaves to turn lightly golden brown
- If you don’t wanna pan-fry the panki, you can also steam in a steamer
How to serve the Panki:
- The Panki is usually served with a spicy green chutney, and pickled green chili. Though, you can also have it as is or with any chutney you like
- It’s usually serve along with the banana leaf. While eating peel off the leaf on top, tear off a panki piece, dunk in the condiments & enjoy!
- It can be served warm or at room temperature, and both taste good!
Leftover batter:
- You can either make all of the panki in one batch, and then just reheat in the microwave or steam for a couple minutes before you want to serve
- If you have a large batch, just store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator, and use within a week. The rice flour would’ve settled to the bottom, and make sure to mix well before forming every panki
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Pan Fry
- Cuisine: Gujarati, Indian
Keywords: gujarati panki, indian pancakes, rice pancakes
Thank you for reading! If you do dry out our gujarati rice panki recipe, do let us know by leaving a comment below!
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