My Spot: Indian Snack Serves Up a Taste of Home

Our “My Spot” series shares personal experiences with special places in California.

Deval Thaker’s favorite food is pani puri, a snack usually served by street vendors in India.

Thaker, an artist and mother, moved to California from India 14 years ago.  She was pleasantly surprised to find this treat in her Fremont neighborhood -- at the Chaatpatta Corner. It's a tiny food stand tucked away in an Indian grocery store.

“I was very excited reading the name pani puri because I was like, 'Oh finally, something nice from back home,' ” Thaker explains.

After she found the Chaatpatta Corner about 10 years ago, Thaker says, “I would be here, I think, every week and eating pani puri.”

Pani puri consists of a small crispy shell, called a puri, filled with potatoes, garbanzo beans, a sweet chutney made of dates and tamarind, a green chutney made of green chilies and ginger. A tangy, light sauce with the consistency of water is poured over it -- it's made of mint, green chilies and black salt.

Thaker especially likes how crunchy the Chaatpatta Corner’s puris are. “I have tried it at so many places, but it has never come out as good and as crunchy as they have it,” she says.

While her daughter was growing up, Thaker came here so often that the owner now knows both their orders and often takes extra care when preparing their food.

“They make you feel very special,” Thaker explains. “When my daughter had braces and she couldn't open her mouth wide open, whenever they would see her coming for her orders, [the server] would pick out the small ones and make sure it was comfortable for her eating it.”

Each time she visits, it’s a trip down memory lane and a tasty reminder of her roots. And although she now lives farther away in Tracy, Thaker makes sure to come get her pani puri whenever she can.

“It’s very much like being at home,” she says. “Someone really takes care of you and serves you right in your plate, so all you have to do is take the puri and put it in your mouth.”