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Kanda Poha (Powa)

This savoury breakfast dish is an origin of Maharashtra, a West Indian State, also the Land of the Great Marathas. The world-known India's metropolitan city "Bombay" is the capital of Maharashtra. Out of all the places I resided, Bombay remains the most loved city still.
"Kanda Poha" a popular savoury snack also known as Avil Upma in other parts of India is super delicious and easy to cook quick nutritious snack. "Kanda" in Marathi means onion and "Poha" is a dehusked rice which is beaten or flattened into dry flakes.

I was first introduced to this dish by my Aunt Asha Ammai(Chachi)when I was in Bombay (I still like to call Mumbai as Bombay) and was about 7 yrs old. She was newly married at that time and she had to show case her culinary skills to my grandma, grandpa and my parents. As she was born and brought up in Bombay, she used to cook all the Maharashtrian dishes. My taste buds for the first time was exposed to new kinds of flavours and I was loving it. Because I was so bored of eating the same old Idlis and Dosas day in and day out. She cooked some amazing stuff in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian and one of it was "Kanda Poha". Last year too, when I paid a flying visit to Mumbai, I stayed with my Uncle and Aunt and she had made Kanda Poha for breakfast and I finished the whole thing. :)

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups medium thick poha (beaten/flattened rice flakes)
  • 2-3 medium onions (finely chopped)
  • 1 medium potato (finely chopped)
  • 20-25 raw peanuts
  • 4-5 green chillies (finely chopped)
  • 8-10 curry leaves
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1/4 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 & 1/2 tbsp oil
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • salt to taste
Method:
  1. Rinse the poha in water for 5-6 seconds and drain it immediately. The more you keep in water, the more mushy it will be. Keep aside.
  2. Heat a kadai (heavy bottomed vessel), add oil and put the mustard seeds, curry leaves and peanuts. Let the mustards splutter and roast the peanuts. Cover the lid if you want as the mustards may pop outside the vessel.
  3. Now add the onions, potato and green chillies together into it. Saute for 5- 8 minutes till the onion gets transparent and potatoes get cooked. Add little salt to it so that they cook quick. Do not add water at any point.
  4. Add the turmeric powder at this stage and put in the poha. Mix well with the onions and potato until all the poha is coated with the onions. If you want, can sprinkle water at this stage but I don't usually as the poha already holds some water after the rinse.
  5. Add the cumin powder, coriander powder, some more salt if needed. Mix well. Each Poha flake should be seen separately and not sticking to each other.
  6. Pour some lime juice into it and serve hot with a nice green chutney. I have my Poha with a double fry Egg and a cup of tea. :)
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