Poha - Kaande Pohe & Batate Pohe

Pohe is one of my favorites for breakfast. This is one dish that has a bit of all tastes (except bitter and umami)in it - a li'l bit of salt, bit of sugar, bit of chilli, bit of lemon juice. When all of this comes together to enliven the simple unassuming poha what you have is a comforting and tasty breakfast.

Ingredients for Batate / Potato Pohe

Thick Poha / Aval / Beaten Rice - 1 cup

Onion - 1, medium

Potato - 1, small

Peanuts - 1 tbsp

Green chilli - 3

Mustard / Rai seeds - 1 tsp 

Cumin / Jeera seeds - 1 tsp

Asafoetida / Hing pwd - a generous pinch

Turmeric pwd - 1 tsp

Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

Curry leaves - 4 to 5

Coconut, grated - 1 tbsp

Lime juice - 1 tsp

Sugar - 1.5 to 2 tsp

Salt as per taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Wash the poha well and drain it and keep aside. Let the poha be well moistened because as it sits the poha will swell and soften absorbing all the water. Add some salt, sugar and a little turmeric powder  and fluff with a fork and keep covered. Slice the onion, chop the coriander leaves and green chillies and also the potato finely and keep aside.

 

Heat a spoon of oil in a pan and sauté the potato pieces. Scoop the potato out and drain on paper towels. Add the rest of the oil into the pan and when it is hot, add the mustard and cumin seeds and let it splutter. Then add the asafoetida powder and wait for a couple of seconds then add green chillies, peanuts, sliced onion and curry leaves and sauté. When the onion turns translucent add the turmeric powder and sauté for a couple of seconds. Add the moist poha and fried potato pieces and mix well. If the poha is dry sprinkle some water in and mix. The poha should be soft and moist without being wet and sticky. Taste the poha and check if the salt and sugar is in proportion. Then add the lemon juice, mix then the coriander leaves, mix. then sprinkle the grated coconut on top. Cover with a lid and take off the heat.

 

Serve poha in a bowl / plate with a wedge of lemon and a sprinkling of coriander leaves and grated coconut.

 

Variation - Kaande Pohe

Pohe can be made by omitting the potato completely, with only onion for Kaande Pohe, in which case increase the quantity of onion a little.

Notes:

1. Peanuts can be omitted completely in case of nut allergy.

2. The potato can be boiled and cut in pieces and tossed with the fried onions before adding the poha for a different taste.

Poha Upma / Aval Upma

At our home, my husband and I love poha for breakfast but made in completely different ways. My husband likes his poha made the upma way and I love my poha done the kaande pohe or the Maharashtrian way. So each of us gets his way in turns, with me at an advantage because I make it! Or like I did today, I make the poha the upma way just for my husband and then unable to hold back, made some, my favorite way for breakfast.

Ingredients

Thick Poha / Aval / Beaten Rice - 1 cup

Onion - 1, medium

Green chillies - 3

Curry leaves - 5 to 6

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Sugar - 1/4 tsp

Salt as per taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

Wash the poha well and drain. Put it into a bowl sprinkle a little water, salt and sugar and using a fork mix and fluff it up. Keep it covered. The poha has to be well moistened but not stick wet.

In a pan, heat oil and when it is hot add the mustard seeds. Let it splutter and add the curry leaves, green chillies and the chopped onion. Sauté till the onion turns translucent. Add the poha and sauté for about 5 to 7 minutes. Take off the heat.

 

The poha upma or aval upma is ready to be served for breakfast with tea.