Savory Rice Flake Bowl (Poha)

South Asian · 20 min · Easy · 2 plates

Savory Rice Flake Bowl (Poha)

Be the first to rate this recipe

Flames are how much people loved it, not how spicy it is.

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.

Plan it:

Method

  1. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

Cooking this later?Save to Pinterest