Tambda Phovva Usli

My love for upma is quite well known to you all. My love for poha is not so well known. Then again, maybe it is. I had not eaten this plain jane amchi version of poha until just before my wedding. I was staying with a cousin and she'd made this for breakfast. I was taken by surprise by the pristine white colour of the dish. I expected it to be very bland, but that wasn't the case.

A few weeks ago, a Malayali colleague of mine was about to go to Kerala to bring back his wife and newborn son. I asked him to bring back some rice flakes made with Rosematta rice. He found it in the local Kalkaji market here and brought it for me. Since then, I have been seeing packets in my local supermarket. While he told me to make the sweet coconut-jaggery dish, Aval Nanachathu, with this variety of poha, I decided to make the amchi Phovva Usli. This nice shade of pink replaced pristine white, but the dish was as full of flavour as I had expected it to be.

1 cup Matta Rice Flakes, soaked for 10 minutes and drained

1 tsp Oil

1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

1/2 tsp Urad Dal

2 Green Chillies, slit

1-2 Red Chillies

7-8 Curry Leaves

1/2 tsp Sugar

1 tbsp Coconut, scraped

Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a pan and add the urad dal. When it turns light brown, add the mustard. When the mustard splutters, add the asafoetida, curry leaves and red and green chillies. After about a minute, add the drained rice flakes.

Dissolve the sugar and salt in a little water and sprinkle this water over the rice flakes. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and add the coconut. Enjoy it with a cup of tea or coffee.

Potato Peas Peanut Poha

I like the way people influence my cooking and food. At ome point, I used to make poha with only potatoes. I didn't add onions to my poha. Then I started making it this way. Then for an earlier WBB, I added soya granules to make it fit in with the theme. An aunt of mine makes poha with green peas. A colleague of mine always asks me to add peanuts to the poha. I ended up making this with the works. This is much easier to make than the mixed vegetable version as there is no major chopping.

Ingredients:
1 Cup Beaten Rice (Poha)
2 tsp Oil
1 Onion, sliced

2 tbsp Peanuts
1 Potato, boiled and cubed

1/4 cup Green Peas, boiled
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
7-8 Curry Leaves
1/2 tsp Chilli Paste
1/2 tsp Ginger Paste
1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt to Taste
Coriander leaves and scraped Coconut for garnish

Wash the poha in a colander and allow the water to drain. Do not touch this with your fingers. Add the salt, chilli powder and turmeric powder and toss until the poha is coated evenly with these powders. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the green chilli and ginger pastes and the curry leaves. Add the peanuts, onions and potato and saute for a minute or two. Add the peas and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the poha and mix well. Sprinkle some water, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes. Mix well and garnish with coriander and coconut and enjoy it hot.

I have started storing cooked potatoes in the fridge and there is always a bag of frozen peas in the freezer. So, this entire breakfast is ready in under 15 minutes. I'm sending this to myself as an entry for this month's WBB: Express Breakfasts.

Mixed Vegetable Poha

Poha is one of favourite breakfasts. And I make it quite often, not just for breakfast, but for dinner as well. And I add as many vegetables as I possibly can while making it. Potatoes were a standard in the one Amma made. My Mami added peas to it. I add whatever I can lay my hands on. I love eating colourful stuff and the addition of a variety of vegetables results in a rainbow like dish and I kind of love it. Many months ago, I was looking at one of Nandita’s videos and I saw her add soya granules to her poha. Then Rajitha came up with soy as the ingredient for this month’s WBB. I thought about the various ways in which I could sneak in soya in a breakfast dish. I thought about a banana shake with soy milk. I thought about soya beans in gravy to go along with toast. But I remembered that I had a packet of Soy Day granules. So in that went into my poha on a chilly morning. I made a very heavy breakfast so that I could do with something light for lunch.

1 cup Beaten Rice (Poha)
1/3 cup Soy granules
1 Carrot, cut finely
3 Spring Onions, chopped
2 tbsp Corn
2 tbsp Peas
1 tsp Oil
¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
¼ tsp Mustard Seeds
¼ tsp Asafoetida
7-8 Curry Leaves
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Chilli Powder
1 Green Chilli, slit
Salt to taste

Wash the beaten rice and drain it. Add the salt, chilli powder and turmeric powder and keep aside.

Soak the soy granules in water (or prepare them as per the instructions on the pack. I use Soy Day as the effort involved from my side is minimal. It soaks in ordinary water.)

Heat the oil in a kadhai and add the mustard, cumin and the asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the green chilli and the spring onion whites. Add the curry leaves and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the carrots, peas and corn. Add some salt and then cover and cook for a few minutes. Add the beaten rice and soy granules. Garnish with the spring onion greens. Enjoy this as soon as it is made.

Off this goes to Rajitha in celebration of Soy this month.

Batat Phow

Also known as Batata Pohe or Aloo Poha, this is the amchi name for this dish. A very standard breakfast dish, at my place this becomes a lunch item. We do eat it for breakfast, but very rarely. I have loved this since the first time I ate it and along with Sabudana Khichdi, this is top of the tops when it comes to snacks or light meals for me. I make this with the thicker version of beaten rice that is available.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Beaten Rice (Poha)

2 tsp Oil

1 Onion, sliced

1 Potato, boiled and cubed

1 tsp Mustard Seeds

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

7-8 Curry Leaves

1/2 tsp Chilli Paste

1/2 tsp Ginger Paste

1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

Salt to Taste

Coriander leaves and scraped Coconut for garnish

Wash the poha in a colander and allow the water to drain. Do not touch this with your fingers. Add the salt, chilli powder and turmeric powder and toss until the poha is coated evenly with these powders. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the green chilli and ginger pastes and the curry leaves. Add the onions and potato and saute for a minute or two. Add the poha and mix well. Sprinkle some water, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes. Mix well and garnish with coriander and coconut and enjoy it hot.