Ponkh or Hurda? One Winter Grain, Many Opinions

Supriya: Ponkh Pudla for breakfast.

Eva: Where to get ponkh in Mumbai please? Any idea?

Persis: Gujarati stores like Gangar and Chheda in Dadar have it.

Supriya: Good quality in the Western suburbs would be at Heerson in Vile Parle (East) or 

Matunga CR Chedda. I am not sure if you get it everywhere. This is prepared by me annually because  of the seasonal availability of ponkh, as I love to take advantage of seasonal veggies and fruits.

Shailendran: What is ponkh?

Supriya: Tender fresh sorghum (jowar). Wash extremely well to remove impurities (I boil it once; don’t overdo, else the taste will change). Coarsely grind along with green chillies and ginger. Make a dosa-consistency batter by adding besan (I add a bit of jowar atta for health reasons), salt, turmeric powder, ajwain, chopped coriander, and water. One can also add chopped onions and tomatoes, but I don’t. The quantity of the flours is just for binding. 

Seema: I think it’s easily available in the local sabzi mandi.

Chandrika: Kisan Konnect has it too. It is also available in the local markets near the railway stations in Borivali, Goregaon, Vile Parle, and Dadar. Especially the vegetable vendors who stock veggies for undhiyu. 

Trupti: This is actually not Ponkh but Hurda; I have tried. Those who have eaten Ponkh will not like Hurda, as the grains are raw, not roasted.

Chandrika: They are the same—-it is called Ponkh in Gujarati and Hurda in Marathi.

Trupti: No dear, its taste is very different. I am from Gujarat and born and brought up in Mumbai. Ponkh is harvested when very tender and Hurda is harvested in the form of raw corn seeds. You then have to roast it.

Supriya: Where there are Hurda parties they use it raw, no roasting .

Trupti: Yes, its jowar but its process of harvest and serving is different.

Supriya: I have attended Hurda parties and thoroughly enjoyed Hurda equally.

Chandrika: Check this video on how Ponkh is made in Gujarat. In both the states, the process  of making it is the same. I have eaten Hurda in Satara on a farm many years ago, when one had to go to a village to experience these activities. The process of harvesting it is the same, and yes, the serving may be different. 

Shailendran: Thanks for enlightening us!

Seema: Just caught up on the threads of conversation going on. Just to share my two bits—Ponkh is tender and one enjoys its taste with three types of sev and sakariya dana. It is harvested in Gujarat and available in Mumbai, brought in mainly from Surat . Meanwhile, Hurda is slightly harder but very robust in flavour. It is served with spicy red sev and spicy red and green chutneys along with some pickles. It is available in the interior regions of Maharashtra.It isn’t seen readily in Mumbai. Of course, I am biased toward  Ponkh😀but have had Hurda too. Both have a totally different taste, aroma, texture, and flavour.