Healthy, homely & holistic: Kick-start your day with Gujju Poha

Knock Knock

Who’s there?

POHA.

POHA, WHO?

Read to find out.

The other day I was watching Friends with a few of my friends and I realized no matter how modern we become with time and technology, the definition of friendship is exactly the same as it was before. Generation after generation people have accepted new changes and rolled up their sleeves to relish the taste of life. 

Aren’t you familiar with the phrase ‘Life is like ice cream, enjoy it before it melts’? You and I might not have enjoyed a similar taste of life, but there are certain aspects that remain the same. The most comfortable couch of friendship where you can sit on anytime, any day. You do not think twice before you speak while sitting on that couch. You definitely do not gossip there; you just pass the information on that couch. *COUGH COUGH* You do not even hesitate before hitting your couch buddies. A couch where you have apples, oranges, bananas, and grapes but they are called friends. And each one of us embraces the quality of being different wholeheartedly.

The missile I am about to launch today is made of diverse ingredients.

Gujarati Poha

Poha is also called flattened rice.

Usually, people eat poha for breakfast because it is a really good source of protein, iron, and carbs. It’s not that only Gujaratis love poha. It is an Indian breakfast. Poha is Super easy and convenient to cook although we follow different types of methods to prepare it.

I think you might have to step out to shop for some of the veggies, spices, and ingredients because I have a quite long list of foods.

Let’s begin:

Ingredients:

2 cups thick flattened rice

3 Tsp oil

½ Tsp mustard seeds

½ Tsp cumin seeds

1 Tsp sesame seeds

10–12 soaked peanuts

10–12 curry leaves

2 chopped green chilies

2 diced potatoes

1 chopped onion

1 chopped tomato

1 Tsp sugar

1 Tsp salt

1 Tsp turmeric

1 Tsp coriander powder

1 bowl chopped coriander leaves

2 Tsp lemon juice

Take a broad vessel either a frying pan or a cauldron. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil in it. Let the oil heat for some time. You have to have all the ingredients ready because the next procedure would require you to be quick and attentive at the same time. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, peanuts, curry leaves, and green chilies one by one and stir it on a medium flame for the next 2 minutes. One secret I would like to share here if you want your Poha to be colorful. 

You can add turmeric powder right now because generally, we have seen that poha is always in light yellowish color and that makes poha look less attractive than it should be. Once you are done with the stirring part, now, you can add veggies and sauté them for a while. You can cover the vessel with a lid. Meanwhile, take 2 cups of poha in a sieve and wash it properly with your hand. Let it soak for a minute and a half and mix them with cooked veggies. Poha tastes really delicious if it is slightly sour and sweet. For that, we can add sugar and lemon juice on top and mix it with poha. You can sprinkle coriander leaves once your poha is cooked.

Knock knock.

Who’s there?

Poha

OH Gujju Poha, try it once.