Kanda Poha

Kanda Poha Recipe

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Kanda poha is Mumbai’s answer to a busy morning — flattened rice softened in seconds, tossed with sweet onions, turmeric and crunchy peanuts, finished with lemon and coriander. Kanda means onion, and there is plenty of it, because poha without a generous onion base is just poha. It is the breakfast that feeds a house without ceremony: one pan, twenty minutes, and everyone sits down to something warm.

Kanda Poha

Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Maharashtrian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the poha
  • 2 cups thick poha (flattened rice / aval), about 200 g
  • 2 large onions finely chopped
  • 2 green chillies finely chopped
  • 1 medium potato peeled and cut into small cubes (optional)
  • 1/4 cup raw peanuts
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 10 to 12 curry leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 teaspoon sugar optional, traditional in many Maharashtrian homes
To serve
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves
  • Lemon wedges
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons nylon sev or grated fresh coconut optional

Method
 

  1. Rinse the poha in a colander under running water for 20 to 30 seconds, tossing gently with your fingers until every flake is wet. Set aside for 5 minutes — it softens on its own. Sprinkle a little salt and the sugar (if using) over it and mix gently with a fork. The flakes should stay separate, never mushy.
  2. Heat the oil in a wide pan or kadai. Add the peanuts and fry on medium heat until crisp and golden, about 2 minutes. Scoop them out and set aside.
  3. In the same oil, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add the cumin seeds, curry leaves, green chillies and asafoetida.
  4. Add the chopped onions (and potato, if using, now — it needs the longest). Cook on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until the onion turns soft and sweet at the edges and the potato is tender.
  5. Add the turmeric and stir for a few seconds so it blooms in the oil.
  6. Tip in the softened poha and toss gently on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, just until steaming hot and evenly yellow. Overcooking makes poha dry and chewy — stop as soon as it is hot.
  7. Switch off the heat, cover and rest for 2 minutes. Fold in the fried peanuts.
  8. Serve topped with coriander, a good squeeze of lemon, and sev or coconut if you like. Eat immediately — poha waits for no one either.

Notes

Thick poha is the right kind for kanda poha; thin poha (the paper variety) turns to mush. If only medium poha is at hand, rinse it for a few seconds less.
Never soak poha in a bowl of water — a quick rinse in a colander is all it needs. Too much water is the main reason poha turns sticky.
Poha dries out as it sits; if you must hold it, sprinkle a spoon of water, cover and reheat gently.
Batata poha (with potato), and a version with a handful of green peas, are the two most common home variations.

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