Pretty in Poha

Friends,

This is very likely my last blog post in which I am not a mom. Baby Girl Jain’s due date is tomorrow, and a whole new world of love, sleeplessness, and carbs lies ahead (I’m fervently hoping I can make many bakery runs while on mat leave).

Our nursery and most of the baby’s clothes are gender neutral, so while baby Jain may rarely be pretty in pink (she will sometimes!), I hope she and her parents will consistently enjoy being “pretty in poha,” which is a favorite Indian breakfast dish made of flattened rice (“poha”) that Mudit and I cook almost every weekend.

Mudit’s mom is a master of this dish. Over the years, we’ve evolved it to make it our own (and can’t wait for Mudit’s mom to visit us to reintroduce the original). While this version is not a 100% traditional poha (the paneer is not typical), it has a lot of what I love, which is many different colors, flavors, and textures. It is hearty and satisfying, particularly with homemade chai as a warming side, which we typically make, as well. Hope you enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

Serves 2-4 people (2 people who eat more than they should with some leftovers, or 4 reasonable people)

Note: Almost everything about this dish is approximate, particularly spices. Adjust to taste.

For Poha

~2 Tbsp Canola or Olive Oil

~1 Tsp Mustard Seeds

1 Small Red Onion (or half a big red onion)

~2 Small Potatoes

1 Handful of Cherry Tomatoes, or 1 Plum Tomato

3 Cloves Garlic

1 Serrano Chili Pepper (de-seeded if you want to minimize spice)

~10 Curry Leaves

2 Cups Thick Poha

~1/2 Tsp Turmeric

~1/2 Tsp Garam Masala

~1/4 Tsp Chili Powder

~1/2 Tsp Salt

~1/2 Tsp Sugar

~1/4 cup Frozen Peas

1 Lemon

For Paneer

~1 Tsp Canola oil

~1 Tsp Mustard Seeds

1/2 Package of Paneer, thawed (if kept frozen) diced into small cubes

~1/4 Tsp Salt

~1 Tsp of Garlic Powder

~1 Tsp Curry Powder

~1/2 Tsp Turmeric

~1/4 Tsp Cumin

For Toppings

Raw, unsalted peanuts

Fine Sev (dried, crunchy, short noodles)

Cilantro

RECIPE

Finely chop potatoes, garlic, onions, and tomatoes. Cut Serrano chili into quarters lengthwise and de-seed if you want a milder flavor (or keep seeds if you want more spicy).

Dice, dice baby

Measure two cups of Poha into a strainer. Dampen (but do not drench) the poha thoroughly with cool water that you mix lightly and evenly throughout with your hand.

Mudit has the magic touch

Add salt, sugar, turmeric, garam masala, and chili powder. Let it rest while you sauté the other ingredients.

Spice up your life!

Heat Canola oil in a large frying pan. Add mustard seeds and listen until they all pop. Add potatoes, garlic onions, and curry leaves, and cook until onions get soft. Add tomatoes and cook until somewhat they break down, and it looks a bit like a paste. Add peas and cook briefly until thawed.

Why have Leaves of Grass when you can have leaves of curry?

Add Poha flakes with spices, and mix well. Add the juice of ~1/2 a lemon and mix. Taste and adjust spices, salt, sugar, lemon, etc. as needed. Turn off heat and cover with a lid for a few minutes.

Start with a snowy “Mt Poha,” and then mix thoroughly

While you are sautéing the ingredients for Poha, add Canola oil to a separate small frying pan. Add mustard seeds and listen until they all pop. Add paneer cubes and toss in oil until they very lightly brown. Sprinkle a very small amount of salt. Coat the paneer cubes with garlic, curry powder, and turmeric, and sprinkle some cumin to taste (all of these spices are to taste. Go as heavy or light as you want).

I obviously went very heavy on the spices

Add paneer to the Poha. Mix and cover.

Poha and paneer

In the small saucepan where you cooked the paneer, add peanuts (peanuts will benefit from the tasty, spicy, oily residue of the paneer). Cook on medium heat until toasty brown. Turn off heat and let peanuts cool and crisp a bit.

So many things starting with “p” in this dish — potatoes, poha, peas, paneer, peanuts…

Build a beautiful bowl. Start with the poha and add the fresh juice of ~1/4 a lemon. Sprinkle peanuts. Add cilantro. Add sev for crunch. Enjoy a festival of textures with a warming mug of chai! Feel pretty in poha.

So many colors and textures!

In this photo, I have cooked poha and am cooking a small human.

Fuel for me and for the small human!

This may or may not have been my dessert — a leftover cookie that my mom custom ordered for our baby shower. Sometimes it is worth it to be pretty in pink :) Thank you, Mom, for a wonderful shower!