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A bowl of bright yellow poha with peas and peanuts garnished with cilantro and tempered with mustard
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Poha: Tasty & Nutritious – with peas and peanuts

The ubiquitous Poha, a favourite of the Gods? Perhaps! One of the stories in the mythology of Lord Krishna, says that when his friend Sudhama was looking desperately for relief from the penury he was in, Sudhama's wife Kalyani asked him to take help from Lord Krishna. When Sudhama went to visit Lord
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 3 serving
Author: Sujata Shukla

Ingredients

  • 2 cups rice Thick Beaten ( Poha/ Aval)
  • 2 tbsps Sesame Oil
  • ¼ cup Peanuts
  • ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds
  • ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
  • 1 pinch Asafoetida
  • ¼ teaspoon Bengal gram Split
  • 1 Green chilli
  • a few Curry leaves
  • 1 Onion
  • 1 Tomato
  • 1 tablespoon green peas Shelled
  • ½ Ginger "
  • to taste Salt
  • ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
  • Cilantro leaves for garnish
  • 1 Lemon

Instructions

  • Select the thicker variety of Poha (Aval, Beaten or Pressed rice) so they do not get easily mashed as you want them whole and separate when you finish making the Poha.
  • Wash the poha flakes gently in a colander, drain, sprinkle salt and soak for 2-3 minutes in water. Drain and set aside.
  • Chop the onions, green chilli and tomatoes and mince ginger and curry leaves. Set aside.
  • Soak the peas in a bowl of water and set aside.
  • Heat oil in a heated pan. Fry the peanuts for 2 minutes or till they begin to split. Using a slotted ladle, remove the peanuts draining the oil at the side of the pan. Transfer the peanuts to a dry bowl and keep aside.
  • In the remaining oil, burst the mustard seeds and then fenugreek (methi), add cumin (jeera) and sauté for 10 seconds. Add the hing (asafoetida) and the split gram dhal     ( split chickpea lentils/ split Bengal gram dhal), sauté for 10 seconds.
  • Add the green chilli, turning it over so that it scalds on all sides. Add curry leaves and let them sputter.
  • Sauté onions till they are translucent (about 2-3 minutes). Add ginger, sauté for 10 seconds.
  • Strain the green peas, add to the pan and sauté for 2 -3 minutes on high flame, stirring till the peas are cooked. Add ¾ of the fried peanuts and keep the rest aside for the garnish.
  • Add tomatoes and turmeric, sauté for 20 seconds.
  • Squeeze out any left over water from the poha flakes, add them to the pan and stir briskly so all the ingredients mix well.
  • Taste for salt and add more salt if required.
  • Cook the poha for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently so that the rice flakes do not stick to the pan.
  • Turn off the stove and transfer the poha to a serving dish.  Sqeeze the juice of one lemon and add the lemon juice and reserved fried peanuts to the poha, and mix gently. Adding lemon juice is good, as it helps the body to absorb the iron from the poha flakes.
  • Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.