Kanda Poha

[Guest guest]

Dear Shyam,

Thought I should wait for some response from someone before responding, just to

make sure you really wanted the recipe. Though with Amulya's suggestions, you

would end up with wonderful kanda poha, ofcourse without needing any of the

ingredients! :-)

Here goes (lemme first introduce myself as a cook by hobby) -

Basic ingredients -

Puffed rice (poha) 2 loose fist-fulls per head, for this recipe only one person

is about to eat the kanda poha...

Kanda (onion) 1 medium sized not-too-finely chopped

Mustard seeds (rai) 1/2 tsp

1/2 a juicy lemon

Curry leaves (kadhi patta) 6-8

Green chilies medium chopped to taste

Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

3 Tbsp peanuts roasted till light brown (optional)

For the Dressing -

Grated fresh coconut 1 Tbsp

OR

Finely chopped onion

OR/AND

Nylon sev (namkeen)

AND

Coriander leaves to taste

(Grated fresh coconut and coriander leaves go together well, Nylon sev and

finely chopped onion goes well too! But don't combine the above combinations)

Preparation (Kadhai method and Microwave) -

Poha comes in 8 different thicknesses. If you are using very thin poha, take a

sieve (large) and place the poha in it after cleaning, and soak in water till

the topmost layer is moist, and remove immediately. If you are using thicker

pohe you might want to soak for a few minutes (2-4) and then remove. Place the

soaked poha in a flat utensil (a thali would do) and separate the poha with a

fork. Then add the lemon juice and the coriander leaves, mix with the fork and

stand...

Cooking (Kadhai method) -

Heat 1.5 Tbsp oil in a deep non-stick pan

Add the mustard seeds and wait till they start popping

Add the onion, curry leaves, green chili and cook till onion appears transparent

Add turmeric powder and mix well (the oil should have a yellow tinge to it)

Add the poha mixture as above and the peanuts

Add salt

Mix (mix after adding the salt so that the turmeric powder in the oil will turn

the whole mixture yellowish thus you can see the salt is mixed properly)

Reduce flame, place a lid on the pan and continue to cook on low heat till the

poha gives a cooked aroma, or when you open the lid you can see some steam.

Cut off the flame, let the pan stand on the warm burner for 3-4 minutes with the

lid in place.

Serve with the above dressings, and eat hot!

Cooking (Microwave) -

You can " roast " the peanuts in the microwave - full power for 1.5 to 2 minutes

or until the peanuts make a crackling sound.

Take a deep microwave dish and add 2 tsp oil

Heat on high for 30 secs

Place the curry leaves, mustard seeds, onion, turmeric powder, green chilies and

mix well, the oil should now look yellowish.

Heat uncovered for 2 minutes or till the onion turns transparent

Add the poha mixture, salt and peanuts and mix well till everything is yellow

Microwave high covered 2-3 minutes. Mix once in between.

Let stand for 2-3 minutes, dress as above and serve hot.

Reheating - always sprinkle some water over the poha before re-heating, for both

the kadhai method and the microwave method.

HAPPY EATING!

Ravin '82