Winter allows for some of the best Surti food—Undhiyu and PonkSurat, the coastal town in Gujarat, is famous for being the hub of the world’s diamond-polishing business; it accounts for around 90 per cent of all diamonds cut and polished globally. Thankfully for all those working in the industry, its local cuisine, known as Surti, is pretty famous too. Surti food heavily favours fresh vegetables, and therefore has several dishes that are only seasonaly—two of the best are undhiyu and ponk.Ponk is essentially young, premature jowar (sorghum)—the grain is green and smaller than jowar normally is. There are various dishes one can make with Ponk, one of the simplest being the Ponk Mix available at Swati Snacks, Tardeo. Although the owner, Asha Jhaveri, wasn’t available, her representative Sanjana Sheth said “We try and incorporate seasonal ingredients as much as possible. For example the Ponk Mix which is simply fresh ponk mixed with coriander chutney and sev.” Soam, opposite Babulnath temple, plans to serve a wider menu of Ponk-based dishes starting January 4. Pinky Dixit, owner, says, “We plan to have ponk bhajiya, ponk bhel and ponk khichu on our menu as specials for Makar Sankranti.” Ponk is, however, best eaten at home in whichever way you like best. You can purchase fresh ponk at dry fruit and snack stores. One of the most famous Gujarati dishes is undhiyu, a heaty dish which is a mixture of assorted fried vegetables with spices and even more oil. Samiksha Shah loves ponk and undhiyu, and says that the origins of the name are to do with the method of cooking. “Traditionally, undhiyu is made in a closed earthenware pot; this pot is put upside down in a hole in the ground with coal above and below it while it cooks. Since ‘upside-down’ in Gujarati is undhu, this led to the name undhiyu”, she says. Rumi Ranji, owner of Golden Star Thali, opposite Charni Road station, explains that it is only available in winter due to its seasonal ingredients and also due to the fact that it keeps you warm and thus can only be had in the colder months. “We serve undhiyu as part of our thali from November to February. Surti papdi (whole green string beans), Lilva (the whitish green beans inside) and Kand (purple yam) are essential seasonal ingredients in undhiyu.” Asked about the perceived high oil content of undhiyu, Pinkie Dixit says, “This depends entirely on you—Soam tries to make it without too much oil as it is served with puri and thus would get too heavy with excessive oil.” Soam even offers a healthier alternative of steamed undhiyu which tastes as good as the original and is served with roti instead of fried puri. Ingredients for undhiyu½ kg Baby potatoes½ kg small brinjals1 kg Surti papdi1 kg Lilva (Green fava-type beans)1 kg Green tur dal1 kg purple yam (kand)3 yellow bananasOne bunch of Methi (fenugreek leaves)Two cups grated fresh coconutTwo bunches of chopped coriander leaves6 teaspoons of sugar6 teaspoons dhana-jeera (coriander-cumin) powder4 tablespoons green chilli-ginger paste1 teaspoon of soda powderSalt to tasteOil for fryingSmall bunch of chopped green garlic (optional)For Muthiya1 cup coarse wheat flour2 teaspoons of green chilli-ginger pasteHalf a teaspoon of turmeric Two teaspoons of sugarTwo tablespoons oilTwo tablespoons of sour curds Salt to tasteMethod for muthiyaClean and chop methi leaves. Rub salt and keep aside for 10 minutes and wash. Add all the above ingredients to methi leaves. Mix well. Make marble sized balls and deep fry.Method for undhiyuPeel potatoes. Make cross slits in potatoes and brinjals and lengthwise slits in bananas. Peel and wash yam and cut into big pieces, deep fry in oil and keep aside. Mix coconut, coriander leaves and all other dry ingredients and chopped green garlic (optional). Mix well. Fill the slits of the potatoes, brinjals and bananas with the mixed dry ingredients. Rub the same dry mixture into the surti papdi, tur dana and lilva. Add 5 tablespoons of oil. Add one teaspoon of asafoetida and one teaspoon soda powder. Add surti papdi. Mix, cover and cook for 10 minutes Add tur dana. Mix, cover and cook for 10 minutes Add lilva. Mix, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add potatoes. Mix, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add brinjals. Mix, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add bananas. Mix, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Lastly, add muthiyas and fried purple yam. Mix, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
