Kanda Poha

Gosh! This is one of my favorite breakfast dishes at the moment. Nutritious, healthy and oh so simple! Just takes few minutes to prepare. Perfect when you don't have much time in hand. A very Maharashtrian dish, I just recently started making this. Never been a fond of rice flakes / beaten rice / poha :-S In Kerala, we normally prepare sweet stuff with it and I don't enjoy it much. So it has never been part of my pantry until I started making Kanda Poha!

The first time I wanted to make it I referred to many recipes online and they all seem pretty similar. Anyways, this is my standard method of making it now and I have used minimal ingredients. Very fuss free recipe :) I prefer buying brown rice flakes as they are more nutritious. Poha or rice flakes are very good for small kids as it is easy to digest. It is also supposed to be rich in iron. Not having a strong flavor, it is very versatile and you can easily make your own versions of poha by adding vegetables or nuts of your choice. I sometimes add tomato to make a tangy version but the recipe below is very basic. So suit yourself by modifying it as per your taste requirements.

Kanda Poha - Recipe

Ingredients:

• Brown rice flakes / poha - 1/3 cup
• Roasted peanuts - 1/4 cup
• Onion - 1/2 medium, finely chopped
• Green chili - 1 final chopped
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Coconut oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

• Firstly, wash the poha under running water in a  colander or strainer till it begins to soften and loses its crunch. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a non-stick pan. When hot, add the mustard seeds. When it splutters add the curry leaves, chopped onions and green chili. Saute well till the onion begins to caramalise or turn brown.
• Add the roasted peanuts, turmeric powder and salt. Give it a good mix and fry for few seconds.
• To this add the washed poha and combine well till ever rice flake is nicely coated with the masala. If you like you can. garnish with some chopped cilantro and lemon wedges or serve simply like that.