All the flavours of the world can be found in the WUR community. Suraj Jamge, who works in the Knowledge Transfer Office at Corporate Value Creation, takes us to his home country, India.
‘Kanda Poha is a traditional Maharashtrian (Western India) breakfast that is simple to make and very tasty. This is my mother’s recipe. Kanda means onion and Poha means rice flakes in Marathi. I sometimes make this dish at the weekend; it reminds me of the early morning university canteen and enjoying it with friends before our classes.’
Ingredients
(for 2 people)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1-2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 1-2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2-3 green chillies
- 6-7 fresh or dried curry leaves (‘kadhi patta’ from the Toko store)
- 1-2 teaspoons turmeric powder
- ¼ cup peanuts
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- salt to taste
- 2 teaspoon fresh coriander
- 2 teaspoon grated coconut
- 2 medium red onions (Kanda)
- 200g rice flakes- Thick (‘poha’ from the Toko store)
Preparation
- Gently wash the rice flakes in a colander or soak them in water for no more than 2 minutes and drain off the water. They should be moist but not soggy or mushy. Add 1 tsp Sugar and a pinch of salt, mix gently and keep this aside.
- In a pan, heat the oil and add the mustard and cumin seeds. Once the seeds start to splutter, add the chopped green chilies, curry leaves and peanuts. Sauté for half a minute.
- Add the finely chopped onions. Continue to sauté until the onions shrink without turning brown. Add the turmeric powder and mix well. Sauté for another minute.
- Add the rice flakes to the pan and stir them in. Cover the pan and simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. The rice flakes will absorb all the flavours and colour and should cook through nicely.
- Top it off with lemon juice, fresh coriander and coconut, and stir well. Serve hot with a slice of lemon on the side. Enjoy Kanda Poha with a cup of desi chai or filter coffee.