Kanda Poha Recipe
Kanda Poha is a delicious breakfast recipe and an integral part of Maharashtrian cuisine. A nutritional, light, and simple dish is made by using flattened rice, onions, and some spices.
Ingredients
- 2 cup Poha thick
- 2 tbsp Peanuts red skinned
- 1 large Onion roughly chopped
- 2 Green chillies slited
- 7-8 Curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp Asafoetida/hing
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped
- 1/4 tsp Lime juice
- 2 tbsp Coconut frozen, shredded
- 1 tsp Salt or as required
- 1/4 tsp Sugar
- 2 tsp Milk *see the notes
- 2.5 tbsp Oil
Instructions
- Pass the poha through a sieve to separate most of the powder.
- Rinse the poha in running water a couple of times and strain out all the water from them.
- Set the poha aside, add 2 tsp milk, salt, sugar, and mix everything with the help of a fork. Cover the poha with a kitchen towel for 10-15 minutes.
- In a wide pan or skillet, heat some oil on medium heat.
- Lower the heat, fry the peanuts for 2-3 minutes until light brown, and crispy. Set them aside.
- In the same pan, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Next, add the cumin seeds and let them splutter.
- Lower the heat, add asafoetida, curry leaves, and green chillies.
- Transfer the chopped onions. Increase the heat to medium low and sauté the onions for 2 minutes.
- Add some turmeric powder and mix. Add 2 tbsp of water, cover the pan with a lid, and cook the onions for 2-3 minutes.
- Fluff the poha with a fork and transfer them to the pan. Genly mix the poha by lifting and dropping method. *You can use two utensils for mixing or use a wooden fork spatula.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook the poha for about 5 minutes without disturbing.
- Squeeze some lime juice, mix the poha, and cook them for 2-3 minutes by covering the pan with a lid.
- Serve the hot poha with some freshly grated coconut, coriander leaves, and fried peanuts. Squeeze some lime juice if you like.
Notes
- For a perfect texture in the kanda poha, use a good quality thick poha.
- Rinse the poha and strain out all the water from them. Do not soak the poha in a bowl with a lot of water or they will be very mushy.
- Cover the washed poha with a kitchen towel otherwise the poha will start drying out and taste a bit dry and hard after cooking them.
- Adding some milk in the poha while they are resting makes them super soft. Mix some salt and sugar at this point for a perfectly tasting poha. All the salt and sugar get mixed equally in the poha and tastes perfect.
- After the onions are sautéed, add some water and cook the onions further to keep the poha soft and moist for a long time.
- Gently tossing the poha with the onions is very important or poha will start breaking while cooking.
- Adding some milk is optional but the poha will turn super soft. You can use any kind of milk like almond milk, soy milk, or coconut milk for this recipe if you are following a dairy free diet.