Poha

Today I prepared Poha for dinner. Being a Keralite, Poha was not familiar to me till around 3 years back . The first time I heard about it was after my marriage. Since my hubby had stayed in North India for a couple of years, he was familiar with their dishes. One Saturday my hubby said that he will prepare Poha as break fast and I was like what do you meant by Poha. Then he prepared Poha for me. It tasted really good and we started having Poha frequently at home. Around 1 year later, I happened to stay with a couple of my friends and they prepared Poha in a different way than my hubby's. And I realized that was the usual way of preparing Poha... I enjoy both versions and today I will share the usual way of preparing Poha. 

For those who are not familiar with Poha, it is flattened or beatened rice. It is called Aval in Malayalam. Poha is one of the healthiest breakfast items and can be prepared in a jiffy. You can also have it as a 4 pm snack if you want or as light dinner... 

Poha

Prep Time: 5min

Cook time: 10 min

Total Time: 15 min

Ingredients:

Thick Poha - 3 cups

1 onion

1/2 green chilly

1 Tablespoon Peanuts

3 -4 curry leaves

1/4  - 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric

1 Teaspoon Mustard seeds

1 Teaspoon Oil

Salt

Prepping

Step 1: Wash Poha by Keeping under the running water in a sieve for a few seconds. Strain and keep aside.

Step 2: Cut onion and green chilly. 

Method of Preparing:

Step 1:

Heat Oil in a pan and when the oil becomes hot, add mustard seeds. Once they crackles, add peanuts and roast for 2 min. 

Step 2:

Add onions and saute till they are brown.

Step 3:

Add green chillies and curry leaves and stir. 

Step 4:

Now add the washed poha and stir well. 

Step 5:

Add turmeric and salt and mix well. Switch off after 2 - 3 min.Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Note:  

• You can add peanut powder also along with turmeric and salt if you like peanuts a lot.
• My hubby's version includes adding tomatoes and a little garam masala and then adding the poha. That tastes really good as well.
• You can add potatoes or other vegetables such as carrots and beans after frying onions and once they are cooked you can add poha for a more healthier version. 
• You can also sprinkle a little lime juice and sugar over the poha as well.