Satya
Dahi Puri
Awarded by Connie Clarkson
Aucklanders have eaten 4 million Satya Dahi Puris in the last 20 years. The menu tells us that Dahi Puri is a “must try” and that “regulars hate to share this dish” and it’s not difficult to understand why. Dahi Puri is street food which originates from Rajasthan and each mouthful of the Satya creation is a taste explosion on a homemade cracker topped with potato-chickpea smash, covered with yoghurt, tamarind chutney, coriander & fresh ground roasted spices.
Swamy and Padmaja Akuthota opened Satya in 1999 and since then, they have been one of the most beloved champions of South Indian cuisine in Auckland. Satya means “truth” in Sanskrit and it has been the desire of this family owned business to bring honest, delicious southern Indian food to feed people and do good. Satya is known for its generosity, opening its doors for the past nine years on Christmas day to give out free meals to the hungry. They fed Aucklanders for free during the April 2018 storm and again just prior to the March 2020 lockdown as a way of giving back to the community and not letting any of their food go to waste.
This dedication to hospitality has rubbed off on the now grown up second generation Sammy Akuthota who has been helping out in his parent’s business since he was eleven and cannot think of anything else he’d rather do. The art of hospitality is his favorite kind of art and has inspired the Satya Chai Lounges and their highly successful Hyderabad Hotel pop up. The family business is in good hands as are our supply of Dahi Puris.