poha for weekend breakfasts
living away from india for over six years now has made me a breakfast cereal junkie. i usually have a bowl of big K (vanilla almond, peach) with skim milk accompanied with a cup of early grey tea on week days. i take sips of tea and spoonfuls of cereal while i juggle everything (ironing, hairdrying, make-up etc etc!) and get ready for work every morning. this has become such a routine now that i don't even think to deviate from this set formula for fear of being late for work. and on weekends i tend to think of making pancakes, crepes and all varieties of eggs.
but i do fondly miss the hot and savoury breakfasts i grew up on - upmas, pongal, dosas, idlis, adai, pav bhai and poha to name a few. although they give you quite a spice kick in the morning, they're so satisfying and tasty that they invariably get you off to a good start to the day. i am also a huge yogurt and mango pickle fan, choosing every opportunity to add dahi to my meals which i obviously can't do with cereal and eggs.
in london, i've decided to make indian breakfasts on either saturday or sunday every week. last week, manoj was visiting from seattle and provided me the perfect opportunity to start my new resolve. raj also spent the night with us so i had three hungry and a bit hungover men to feed saturday morning. i made poha (beaten rice flakes) for the blokes which they devoured in no time, washing it down with orange juice.
poha is one of the easiest indian breakfasts to make. here is the recipe which i doubled for 4 people.
3 katoris (small cups) poha
1 large potato finely chopped
1 large onion finely chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
A few curry leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
A few corriander sprigs, loosely torn
wash the poha thoroughly in water, drain and keep aside. heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. toss in the mustard seeds. once they start crackling, add the onion, potatoes, turmeric and curry leaves. stir fry till the onions are pinkish and the potatoes are cooked. now add the drained poha and mix thoroughly. cover the pan and lower the heat. cook for about another 4 to 5 minutes. remove the pan. add lemon juice, corriander and salt to taste.
i like to make an easy raita to accompany the poha. take some yogurt and add water until the consistency is buttermilk-like. add salt, chillie powder and half a chopped onion. serve with the poha.
posted by lulu at 2:28 pm
8 Comments:
I LOVE poha and eat it or vegie fried rice most mornings(and I'm not even Indian). I much prefer savory breakfasts to sweet breakfasts. There's something so comforting about the warmth and the spice. I'll have to try your recipe. Thanks!
you can also try baked poha.wash the poha in running water for a few seconds.add the coriander,green chilli,yoghurt,semolina,lemon juice,sugar and salt and mix well.grease a baking dish and spread this mixture evenly.for the tempering,heat the oil and add the mustard seeds and asfoetida.fry until they crackle.sprinkle the tempering over the poha mixture.bake in a hot oven at 200C(400F) for 15 minutes.cut into pieces.decorate with coriander.serve hot.woila!
wow a recipe from u after a long long time. i havent tried poha upma, shall try it soon. thanx for sharing the recipe.
I actually try the same recipe with sooji (semolina) and add some other veggies like peas, carrots, cauliflowers. It's one of the few dishes I make that is actually edible.
priya,
i hadn't realised that i have not been sharing as many recipes. thanks for reminding me!
hi sabiha,
i like the semolina with veggies dish ass well - i make it every now and then.
hi dad,
baked poha sounds yum! must try that next time.
why did you ruin a perfectly good plate of poha by pouring CURD over it!! you have to be a hardcore southie to do that. the proper treatment for a steaming plate of pohas is to sprinkle a good amount of haldiram bhujia on it and enjoy the wondrous texture of the resultant mixture. Bliss.
Varun (hungry student in London)
any of you know the nearest place to Canary Wharf for buying poha (the original material for cooking) ?
This is a age old recepie minus the potato back home in Chennai when I was growing up. Lemon juice is added or grated fresh coconut added with hing as a different flavor. Sometimes fasting women add yogart as a night meal instead of rice.
Thanks
Sue
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