Chef Saransh Goila is inarguably one of the biggest cooking sensations of India today. Known best for his ‘Goila Butter Chicken’, Goila created history by making an appearance in the MasterChef Australia in the year 2018, and challenging the contestants to cook his version of Butter Chicken. At 34, Goila is a world-renowned chef, entrepreneur and influencer. A man of many hats is a dedicated desi at heart. If you follow him on Instagram, you would find him exploring and cooking fairly less popular Indian recipes. A while back, he showed us how to make the Garhwali green salt with garlic, and now, in one of his recent posts, he told us about the ‘Ponkh’. Ponk or Ponkh is young jowar. Jowar is a popular Indian millet that is consumed widely in West and Central India.
India has a wide repository of millets, but in popular culture, wheat and rice seem to dominate the Indian fare. However, millets like Jowar, Ragi and Bajra also have a significant part to play in the cuisine, especially in rural India.
What Is Ponkh?
Ponkh, also known as Hurda in Maharashtra is a young, tender jowar that is plucked and roasted in sand. It is then pounded until the husk and jowar are separated, post which it is sieved and served with fried sev and chutney. The chaffing is a very “labour intensive” process, Goila writes in his caption. It has a nice roasted, nutty, mildly sweet taste. It is also very chewy.
Further, the chef also writes about Ponk and Hurda Parties. “Ever heard of Ponkh and Hurda parties? You can always attend one in Adajan Pok Nagri in Surat. These parties are legit and everything is made with Ponkh or has Ponkh in it! From Coconut Petish to Wada and Bhel and whatnot.”
These parties are an incredible way to understand the versatility of this green millet. One of the more popular ways of consuming it with some limbu miri or garlic sev, chop some onions and tomatoes if you like to bulk it up. Remember, the hero here is ponkh, so do not be stingy with it. Finish off with some lemon juice, salt or chaat masala, recommends Chef Goila. Have a look at the post here.
Have you ever tried Ponkh? Do let us know how you like to have it. The snack is prepared only in winter. It is said it is warming in nature and good for your energy levels. It is rich in fibre and a gamut of vitamins that can give your overall health an instant boost. Eating more millet in winter, also ensure good digestion. If you often complain of poor digestion in winter, these three months, you know that snack that can satiate you while keeping you healthy.
