3.09.2009

aloo poha

i haven't been slacking... rather attempting to perfect this dish. indian food has always been a challenge, as i'm extremely picky when it comes to spices and trying to get the measurements right. finally, after 2 weeks... i have it where i want it.

aloo poha (pronounced ah-loo po-hay) is a flattened rice dish with potatoes. i did some research and for those of you who don't know hindu mythology, poha is the favorite food of lord krishna. i don't want to go into the story, but you can google it.

mommy and daddy used to make this all the time growing up and to this day, it's just as good now as it was back then. it's normally made for weekend brunch. time to save up your cash as a trip to the indian grocery store will be in order to procure a lot of these ingredients, but it's totally worth it!

Ingredients:

2 cups thick poha (flattened rice flakes)
1 large potato
1/2 onion
3 dried red chili peppers
cilantro
1 clove garlic
yellow mustard seed
black peppercorns
cumin powder
fennel seed
ground coriander
garam masala
turmeric
urad dal
hing (asafoetida)
salt
canola oil

Preparation:
- soak and drain thick poha for 10-15 mins
- finely chop onion, cut pototo in cubes, and cut cilantro
- put canola oil in a pot and heat on medium heat
- add mustard seed and dal and cover; when mustard seeds pop, add in peppercorns, hing, stir for a minute
- add garlic, onion, potato, cilantro, coriander, cumin, fennel seed, dried chili peppers, garam masala and cook until light brown
- with heat on low, add poha, 1/4 turmeric and mix thoroughly; add salt for taste or garlic salt

this dish can be eaten as it is or you could try what my cousin and i do: add buttermilk and crushed papadam. add this if you want to eat it like this guy!

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