Kanda Poha for a Slow Morning
The Pune breakfast, done properly, which mostly means not drowning the poha.
Poha is judged entirely on texture, and texture is decided in the first ten minutes, before any heat is involved. Everything after the rinse is seasoning.
The two failure modes are opposites. Under-rinsed poha stays chalky in the middle and no amount of steaming fixes it. Over-rinsed poha collapses into a single mass the moment it hits the pan. The window between them is wide enough to hit reliably and narrow enough that you should actually check with your fingers rather than trusting a timer.
The sugar surprises people who did not grow up with it. It is not there to make the dish sweet; it is there to lift the lemon and the turmeric, and its absence is immediately noticeable in a way its presence is not.
The Recipe
- 2
- 10 min
- 12 min
Ingredients
- 2 cupsthick pohaThin poha will turn to paste. This is the whole recipe in one line.
- 1 largeonionFinely chopped
- 2 tbspoil
- 1 tspmustard seeds
- 1 tspcumin seeds
- 10–12curry leaves
- 2green chilliesSlit lengthways, or chopped if you want the heat distributed
- 1/2 tspturmeric
- 1 tspsugarNot optional. It is what makes it taste like poha and not like rice.
- Salt, to taste
- 1/2lemon
- 3 tbspfresh corianderChopped
- 2 tbsproasted peanuts
Method
- 01
Put the poha in a colander and rinse under running water for about twenty seconds, moving it with your fingers. Do not soak it. Leave it to drain and swell for ten minutes while you do everything else.
- 02
Check the poha with a fingertip. It should crush between two fingers with no hard core and no wetness. If it is still hard, sprinkle a little water. If it is wet, you have gone too far and there is no way back.
- 03
Heat the oil in a wide pan. Add the mustard seeds and wait until they pop properly, which takes longer than you think.
- 04
Add the cumin, curry leaves and green chillies. Ten seconds, no more, or the curry leaves go bitter.
- 05
Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, around five minutes. Do not brown it.
- 06
Add the peanuts, turmeric, sugar and salt. Stir for thirty seconds until the turmeric loses its raw smell and everything is evenly yellow.
- 07
Fold in the poha gently, lifting rather than stirring. Cover and cook on low for three minutes.
- 08
Off the heat, add the lemon juice and coriander. Fold once. Taste for salt and sugar, and serve immediately.