Poha – Kanda Bataka Poha
Ultimate desi breakfast, Kanda Bataka Poha made with flattened rice with tempered onions and potatoes along with curry leaves, flavored with basic spices, peanuts, sesame seeds, fresh cilantro with just right amount of sweetness and tanginess!
Poha is very popular and basic breakfast in northern and western India. The reason it is so popular is that is it very easy to make and extremely satisfying! With just few basic ingredients this dish comes together so quickly. Poha is flattened rice. You can find two types of poha, one is thin and the other is thick. Thin ones are good for dry snacks like chevdo, things that does not involve water. Thick poha are good for dishes that require adding moisture. This dish requires soaking poha before cooking them and that is why the thick poha are the best for making this dish!
Poha can be made with only onions, or only potatoes or both. Adding peanuts and sesame seeds adds great texture to this dish. This poha is a great mix of spicy, sweet, salty and tangy! I love making this on weekends and serve them with hot masala chai to make a perfect breakfast! Although my husband likes to have an ice cold rose lassi with this! Honestly, you can never go wrong with this Poha for breakfast or even lunch!
This dish is our family favorite, I hope you and your family love it as much as we do!
Happy and Healthy Eating!
Onion Potato Poha
Ingredients
- ½ cup Oil
- 5 cup Thick Poha
- 1 cup Chopped Yellow Onions
- 3 Chopped Potatoes
- 10 Curry Leaves
- 1 tbsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 pinch Asafetida
- ½ cup Peanuts
- ¼ cup Sesame Seeds
- 3½ tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tsp Red Chili Powder
- 1½ tbsp Chopped Thai Green Chilis
- 1 tbsp Grated Ginger
- ⅓ cup Milk
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- ½ cup Chopped Cilantro
Instructions
- Put thick poha in strainer or colander and run water through it for food 2-3 minutes running your fingers through poha. Let strainer/colander sit and let all the water out. This will assure that all poha are soaked in water well with no extra water left in them.
- Warm oil in a big wide pan. Once hot, add cumin seeds.
- Once cumin seeds are browning, add pinch of asafetida and curry leaves to it.
- Add chopped onions to the oil with ½ tsp of salt. Let the onions cook on medium heat until they become translucent.
- Add cubed potatoes and cook on medium heat until they are cooked through but not mushy. Cover the pan to cook the potatoes faster.
- While waiting for add red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt and sugar to soaked poha in the strainer/colander itself and mix the spices with poha with your hand gently, making sure the poha do not break.
- Add coarsely ground peanuts and sesame seeds. Mix well.
- Add grated ginger and chopped thai green chilis. Mix well.
- Add spiced up poha to the pan and mix well.
- Add ½ cup milk (or water if making it dairy free) to the poha and mix well. This will help poha not get too dry. Cook it on medium heat for 3-4 minutes while stirring couple of times in between.
- Cover for 3-4 minutes and let it cook more on medium heat.
- Open the lid, add chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice. Mix well and taste it. Add more salt/sugar/lime juice if needed. Cook for couple more minutes.
- Take it off the stove and serve it hot with some masala chai!
