Kande Pohe
“Seriously you are writing a blog post on ‘kande pohe’??” my mom asked me 😛 But trust me its the simple, most common things that need to be perfect, because you have to eat those a lot!!
This is probably the most common breakfast dish in western India. Its the dish that a girl makes for her prospective groom, when he comes to ‘see’ her for the first time in traditional indian arranged marriages! Whenever I made good Kande Pohe my Panji (great grand mom) would tear up, thinking how lucky my husband would be 😛 Such is the power of perfectly made Kande pohe.. Obviously it has gotten a lot of attention in pop culture too! theres even a song about it!
So, if you want to impress prospective spouses (;P) or great grand moms or anyone for that matter! heres the perfect recipe..
You will need:
1 cup thick flattened rice (pohe), wash for a few seconds under running water (if your tap water is too cold, adjust it to room temperature water) then strain on a sieve for at least 10 minutes. This is the most crucial part. the rice should be soft and completely hydrated but not mushy and watery.
Once the water drains out, and the poha is a little dry, loosen it to make sure it’s himogenously hydrated and sprinkle some more water to moisten it.
1 small onion, chopped square, medium cut
1 small potato (optional) thick small slices
4-5 curry leaves
2 green chillies, small pieces
a small piece of ginger
mustard
1 tbsp oil
turmeric
asafetida (hing) (a lil more than usual)
salt
sugar
fresh chopped cilantro
lime
1. Add salt, little sugar, lime juice and turmeric powder over the drained flattened rice (pohe)
2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and hing to the hot oil, after the mustard crackles, add green chillies and curry leaves. Add a little grated fresh ginger – optional
3. Add the chooped onion and potato, and let it cook, covered for a few minutes – till the potatoes soften.
4. Once the potatoes and onions are cooked, add the poha with the seasonings.
5. Mix, the turmeric will mix with the oil and give a nice color.
6. Cover and let cook for just about a minute.
7. Remove lid and add finely chopped fresh cilantro and serve piping hot