Picante Poha

Poha is flattened rice, a fluffier version of cooked rice but is lighter and great as a snack.

Picante Poha (Swad bada hai mast-mast) (The taste is scrumptious as my family says)

Ingredients

1 cup chopped onions
1 cup cut boiled potato
1 sliced green chili
1 cup cut tomato
1/2 cup peas
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp ground coriander powder
3 cups thick poha (flattened rice)
3 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp water

Optional ingredients

1/2 lemon squeezed
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp shredded coconut
4-5 coriander or cilantro sprigs

What is fluffy, chatpatta, and takes only a few minutes to make? It's poha
that is never leftover in my house.

Rinse poha a few times till the water is not cloudy anymore and set aside. Poha soaks any remaining water.
After 10 minutes poha swells to about 4 cups.
In a pan, on medium low heat, add oil.
Saute the onions. Add cumin till its brown and mustard seeds till they sputter. Cover for a few seconds while they sputter if you do not feel comfortable with the noise, uncover,
then add chilies, potato and tomato. Stir constantly for a minute and
add peas. Add poha, water, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garlic and salt.
Stir for 4 - 5 minutes. If it feels on the dry side you add another tablespoon of water at this time.
Once it's cooked, add lemon juice and garnish with coconut and cilantro.

Serve warm for breakfast or with afternoon tea.

Serves four.

How to boil potatoes:

To boil potatoes bring a quart of water to boil in a pressure cooker. Add two to three rinsed potatoes. Cover the lid of the pressure cooker and cook on high heat until you hear two whistles.
Shut off the burner and let it cool. Open the cooker once the pressure has gone away. Remove the potatoes with tongs, set them in a bowl and rinse under cold water to stop them from further cooking and let it cool on a cookie tray or a plate for fast cooling. You can leave them in the bowl to cool if you have a few minutes while you work on rinsing the cilantro or chopping other veggies.

Peel the desired amount of potato, chop and use the needed amount for the recipe. The rest can be used later that evening for curry etc. I always keep boiled potato handy because I can always make potato parathas for my family.

"Some people like to paint pictures, or do gardening, or build a boat in the basement. Other people get a tremendous pleasure out of the kitchen, because cooking is just as creative and imaginative an activity as drawing, or wood carving, or music."
Julia Child

How aptly said by Julia Child. Sometimes, when I want to just cook for the fun of it, I find myself experimenting by adding different ingredients and being creative.
For instance, I have used crushed 4 to 5 curry leaves and they give out distinct flavor and aroma in poha.

Enjoy cooking and eating together with your loved ones.