What do we celebrate in winters?

Food.

The answer is probably true for all seasons in the heartlands of Gujarat and if you are from Surat, probably the word food-porn is the best description of your celebratory entertainment. Smack in the middle of all this high gastronomic drama, sits the legendary PONK.

For the uninitiated, Ponk is succulent, tender millet seeds reaped in South Gujarat during the winter months of Nov – Feb. The farmers thrash the seeds gently in bhattis or kilns and then winnow them to dust away the sparse fuzzy coverings. What you get are these small green nodules that are so ardently loved by every Surti worth her/his salt (or ponk). Basically, its straight off the fields, slightly tended and then on your plate, like a no-nonsense guy in the Surti food family. We say Surti and unadulterated at that, because it’s born here, eaten here, loved by all (parceling for NRIs anyone?) season after season.

( A pictorial representation of the process of how Ponk is collected and cleaned)

Of course, our indigenous chefs go at length to play with the cereal and create various dishes out of it. There is the very desi  Ponk wadas and pulao, slightly NRIish Patties and we even spotted one laari selling Ponk burgers (just kidding, but you can take that idea). Ponk is also savored in its raw form with various spicy sevs – green, brown etc. and the ubiquitous chutneys – garlic and limbu-mari, a citrusy pepper chutney.

We won’t be hyperboles when we claim that Surtis are so proud of our Ponk that some of them host grand parties to usher in the new harvest. Its smuggled religiously to all the relatives’ households abroad and the distribution to the extended family is fervently discussed.

Our Recommendation: Ask for Wadas with the spicy green sev and wash them down with the Oh So Surti SOSYO.