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Ponk
Roasted green sorghum with sev
પોંક: tender green sorghum, freshly roasted, with lemon-pepper sev, sugar sev and a quick garlic chutney, Surat's winter street treat
From December to February the roadsides outside Surat fill with ponk stalls, where young green jowar heads are roasted in pits of hot coals, beaten in a cloth and sold warm by the paper plate. The soft, milky grains taste sweet and grassy, and Surtis eat them with three things: peppery lemon sev, sugar-coated sev and a fiery garlic chutney. At home you can buy fresh ponk grains in Gujarati shops in winter and give them a quick toss in a hot pan, which brings back some of that smoky edge. The common mistake is roasting them too long; the grains should stay soft and juicy, not turn hard like popcorn kernels. Chef's tip: ponk goes stale within a day, so buy it the morning you plan to eat it and keep it wrapped in a damp cloth until then.
- Total time
- 18 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the ponk
- 14 oz fresh ponk (tender green sorghum grains)picked over
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
For the garlic chutney
- 8 garlic clovespeeled
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp water
To serve
- 2 ⅛ oz lemon-pepper sev
- 1 ⅜ oz sugar-coated sev
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper (optional)
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What you'll need
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Pound 8 garlic cloves with ½ tsp salt in a mortar to a rough paste, then work in 2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp water until it is a loose, brick-red chutney. Set aside.
4 minStep 2: Heat a heavy iron pan or tawa over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, until a few drops of water dance and vanish.
2 minStep 3: Tip in 14 oz fresh ponk (tender green sorghum grains) and toss constantly for 3–4 minutes. You want a few grains lightly charred and the rest just warmed; they should still squash softly between your fingers. Stop before they harden.
4 minStep 4: Take the pan off the heat, sprinkle with ¼ tsp salt and 1 tbsp lemon juice and toss once more.
1 minStep 5: Pile the warm ponk on plates with small heaps of 2 ⅛ oz lemon-pepper sev and 1 ⅜ oz sugar-coated sev, a spoonful of garlic chutney and a grind of ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper. Eat straight away, mixing a little of everything in each mouthful.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ponk take?
- About 18 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 8 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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