Poha

I love Indian cuisine, except that I have to be careful with the spice. I am, I confess, one of those people who start going “Is that spicy? how about that? is that spicy too? are you sure? what do you mean by just a bit????”. I don’t have to do that when I’m at my friend Priyanka’s house, she knows me really well and how much I can tolerate. We have this agreement between the two of us that whenever we are at my house I make arepas for her and when we are at her place, she makes Poha for me.

Poha is made of flakes of flattened rice. It is cooked with peanuts, potatoes, spices and lime. It’s a breakfast food, salty, filling, quick to make, and delicious. Priyanka’s husband likes to cook a runny egg and place it on top, and I heartily endorse the addition.

The first step to make Poha is to buy the Poha. You can go to an Indian store, take the opportunity to look at ton of spices and grains to get some inspiration. Or like everything else, you can order it on Amazon. All the other ingredients you probably have.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup peanut

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

• 2 potatoes, cut in small cubes

• 4 cup poha

• 1 small onion, cut in small cubes

• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

• 1 tsp turmeric

• Juice of 1 lime

• Green chilies to taste

• 1 tsp sugar

• Salt

Preparation

First, some prep work: Place the potatoes in a bowl. Add 1 tsp of oil, cover, and cook in the microwave for 2 minutes. Soak the rice flakes for 3 minutes and strain them.

Heat up the rest of the oil in a large pan. Add the peanuts, cook them for a couple of minutes until they turn color, then remove them.

To the oiled pan add now the turmeric and green chilies (and enjoy the aroma). Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes in high heat until they clear out a bit. Add the potatoes and cook for 3 more minutes, mixing very well. Add the rice flakes, cilantro and cooked peanuts, cook for 2 more minutes. Add the lemon juice and serve.