Rice Panki

"Cooked between the leaves" - yes! that's what actually Panki means. If you have never heard about it before, let me tell you, its one of the most traditional Gujarati snacks made with an aromatic rice flour batter cooked inside the banana leaves. Low in calories and high in taste, it makes for a perfect breakfast option for health freaks and those looking forward to shed few extra kilos. The best part is, this snack is very easy to make and can be prepared in just a matter of few minutes.

For those who are not much fond of rice flour, there are other variations too which are as healthy and delicious - go for moong dal pankis, fresh corn batter pankis, green peas pankis and semolina pankis; or play with your own ingredient choices and innovate new variations.

Ingredients

Few banana leaves cut into squares, circles or any shape of your choice
1 cup rice flour
1/4 cup semolina
1/4 cup beaten curd
1/4 cup freshly chopped coriander leaves
1/2 tbsp oil
2 tsp ginger/chili paste
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
7-8 curry leaves
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric

Method

1. Wash and pat dry the banana leaves.
2. Heat oil in a tadka pan and add in mustard seeds. One the mustard splutters, add in curry leaves and switch off the flame.
3. Next, in a bowl, combine rice flour, semolina, curd, ginger chili paste, salt, turmeric, lemon juice and curry leaf tempering; mix well.
4. Add some water to make dosa like consistency of the batter.
5. Now take a banana leaf and grease it with some oil on its non-shiny side.
6. Take a tablespoon of batter and spread on the greased leaf evenly; cover it with another leaf with non-shiny side over the batter.
7. Heat a pan and place the batter filled leaves. Cook till the leaves get brown marks and panki between them starts peeling off.
8. Continue making the remaining pankis in similar fashion and serve hot with fried green chilis and coconut-coriander chutney.

Note: Pankis are served along with the leaves, which are taken off only while eating them.