Simple, Healthy and Tasty Recipe of Kanda Poha

Kanda means onions in Marathi and therefore, the term Kanda Poha was coined. The combination of onion and poha make this an extremely tasty breakfast dish. Apart from the conventional south Indian breakfast of idlis, dosas and uttapams, poha and upma have a special place in the kitchen of every Maharashtrian woman.

If you are running late in the morning and don’t have time to eat it, you can also easily pack it and take it to work. It is filling and healthy, and a perfect meal to end your tiring day.

Variations of Kanda Poha recipe

You can make poha either with onions or potatoes or add both to the recipe. You can also add boiled peas, carrots, and grated coconut to the recipe. This entirely depends on your personalized taste. If you want to go the healthy route, you can also opt for red poha instead of the regular white poha to gain additional health benefits. While serving, the poae is usually served with tiny wedges of lemon to add an aesthetic appeal. The bright yellow colour of the poha combined with the green of coriander makes it a beautiful sight. Some people use green chilly in the recipe while others like to use red. This too, depends on your family taste and personal preferences.

Onion Poha recipe

• Time for preparation – 15 minutes
• Time to soak the poha – 15 minutes
• Cooking time – 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup poha
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 2 tsp peanuts
• 8-10 curry leaves (kadipatta)
• Green or red chilli (chopped)
• 1.5 tsp oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt as per taste
• ½ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
• A pinch of asafoetida (hing powder)

For garnishing:

• 3-4 tsp finely chopped coriander leaves
• 7-8 tsp grated coconut
• 4-5 tsp nylon sev
• 4 lemon wedges for serving

Directions for Kanda Poha recipe:

1. Clean the poha, wash it properly and soak it in water for 10-15 minutes. Remove the excess water and keep it aside.
2. In a Kadhai, heat oil and add some mustard seeds. Once they start crackling, add asafoetida, curry leaves, chilli, onions, and peanuts. Sauté this on medium flame for about 5 minutes till the onions turn brown and translucent
3. Then add turmeric powder, rice flakes and salt, mix it properly with the other ingredients and cook on slow flame for 2 minutes. Stir gently only once in between.
4. Once the poha is cooked, turn off the flame and leave it covered for 1 or 2 minutes. Then serve in plates and garnish with lemon juice, coriander leaves and grated coconut.

You can enjoy this onion poha recipe with hot tea or coffee to complement the taste. Enjoy!