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The process

From pond to pop, the traditional way.

Makhana is one of the most labour-intensive foods in India. Here is every step our makhana goes through, filmed at the ponds and units we work with.
Our sourcing team checking Euryale ferox leaves at a makhana pond

The process

From pond to pop, by hand.

  1. 01

    Harvest

    Seeds are hand-gathered from the beds of Bihar's Euryale ferox ponds by skilled local farmers.

  2. 02

    Clean & Sun-dry

    Raw "gurri" seeds are washed, sorted and sun-dried to the right moisture for popping.

  3. 03

    Roast

    Seeds are roasted in heavy iron kadhais over wood fire, stirred by hand for an even heat.

  4. 04

    Pop

    Hot seeds are struck with a wooden mallet so the kernel bursts into a crisp white pop.

  5. 05

    Grade

    Pops are sieved into suta grades and hand-checked for colour, size and husk.

  6. 06

    Pack & Dispatch

    Graded makhana is packed into moisture-safe bags and dispatched from our Darbhanga warehouse.

Raw makhana seeds roasting in an iron kadhai

Did you know

A hard black seed becomes a cloud-white pop.

The raw seed, called gurri, has a tough black shell. Only skilled hands can judge the exact moment in the kadhai when it is ready to be struck, and that skill is why Bihar makhana is so prized.

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