Trail Food: Panj River Provisions
BY KATE BERNOT
Come for the backpacking meals, stay for the snacks.
That’s my endorsement of Panj River, a start-up backpacking food company launched by Reena Badyal in 2024. I was gifted a box of Panj River meals and snacks by my sister-in-law, who knows I crave flavors beyond Mountain House’s standard Beef Stroganoff offers. No disrespect to the OG, but Punjami Rajma and Moong Masoor Dhal are a nice change of pace.
Yes, the dehydrated meals are fully satisfying. The rajma—a Punjabi curry made of kidney beans, tomatoes, and spices that’s reminiscent of chili—is deeply savory and almost meaty, despite being vegan. The dhaal is tender and comforting, with perceptible chili heat and garam masala spice lingering on the tongue.
But oh man, the snacks.
Mango Lassi fruit leather is Panj River’s best-seller, and is a soft, delicately cardamom-spiced treat. It takes Badyal about 20 to 30 minutes to process the six mangoes that go into every batch, a contrast to many fruit leathers whose main ingredient—no matter the flavor—is apples. I don’t even wait for hikes anymore; I’ve stashed these in my backpack for long airplane rides and packed them in my purse for general snack emergencies.
My vote for the best bite in her entire lineup, though, is the pinni. Slightly sweet, deeply toasty-nutty, a little salty, and crumbly like a shortbread cookie: I’ve never tasted anything quite like them. I tend to forgo the description entirely and just tell my friends: “Here, take one bite of this.” Made with chickpea and lentil flour, raisins, roasted nuts, and ghee, each ping-pong-ball-sized pinni packs 18 grams of carbs, which have made them go-tos for me on long trail runs.
Finding a niche in the dehydrated meal market is difficult, especially as a one-woman operation. But Badyal should rest assured that if the meals don’t take off, Panj River has the makings of an incredible snack brand—and not just for backpackers.
