South Asian · 20 min · Easy · 2 plates

Poha

Name: Poha
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 5.29 oz thick flattened rice (poha); 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tsp black mustard seeds; 10 fresh curry leaves; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 potato, peeled and cut into small dice; 1 green chili, finely chopped; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp sugar; 2 tbsp roasted peanuts; 1 lemon, juiced; 1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped; salt, to taste

Flattened rice rinsed until it softens, then tossed through a quick tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves and turmeric with onion, potato and peanuts. Light, fast, and the standard weekday breakfast across much of western India.

~550 cal per serving — Calories are approximate, per serving — a guide only.

gluten-freesoy-free

Plan it:

Method

1
Rinse the poha
Put the flattened rice in a sieve and rinse briefly under cold water until every flake is damp. Leave it to drain and soften while you cook: it should crush between your fingers, and it should never sit in standing water.
2
Temper the spices
⏱ 1 min
Heat the oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and wait for them to pop, then add the curry leaves and stand back, because they spit.
3
Cook the vegetables
⏱ 8 min
Add the onion, potato and green chili with a pinch of salt. Cover and cook, stirring now and then, until the potato is tender.
4
Fold it together
⏱ 1 min 30 sec
Stir in the turmeric and sugar, then fold through the drained poha and the peanuts. Warm through for a minute, folding gently so the flakes stay whole.
5
Finish
Take off the heat, squeeze over the lemon and fold through the cilantro. Taste for salt and serve hot.

Notes

Use thick poha rather than thin: the thin sort turns to paste the moment it meets water. Rinse it, do not soak it, so it comes out damp all the way through and no wetter.

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Method

Rinse the poha

Temper the spices

Cook the vegetables

Fold it together

Finish

Notes