BATATA POHA

Ingredients:

2 cups poha

1 large boiled potato (cut into pieces)

1 onion (finely chopped)

1 green chili (finely chopped)

half bowl green peas

1 tspn mustard seeds (rai)

1 tspn cumin seeds (jeera)

1/2 tspn turmeric powder (haldi)

chopped coriander leaves

few curry leaves

 grated fresh coconut (optional)

lemon piece

2  1/2 tspn oil

2 tspn sugar 

salt as required

Preparations: 

Pick 2 cups poha. rinse the poha in clean running water twice or thrice. use a strainer to rinse the poha. keep the poha in the strainer and rinse it in running water. make sure that you do not rinse it too much or else it breaks and gets mushy. while rinsing, the poha absorbs enough water and it becomes soft. the poha must become soft but remain intact, whole and separate. If the poha does not become soft, sprinkle few drops of water on the poha in the strainer.

Method:

• Heat a pan and add oil, mustar seeds & cumin seeds.
• When seeds splutter add onion and mix it well until it turns golden brown in colour.
• Sprinkle 1/2 tspn turmeric powder, 2 tspn sugar and salt (as required) in the poha. mix it well.
• Add green chilies, curry leaves saute for half a minute.
• Later add pieces of potato, saute the potatoes till light golden and crisp.
• Add the poha. stir gently but very well till everything is mixed evenly.
• Cover the pan tightly with a lid and steam poha for a minute or two on a low flame. switch off the flame and keep the lid covered on the pan for a further 5 minutes.
• Remove the lid and garnish the poha with chopped coriander leaves and grated fresh coconut.
• Serve batata poha hot with lemon pieces.

Kanda Bhaji

Ingredients:

2 onions, cut into halves and then sliced,

Besan or gram flour enough for the batter,

3/4 tsp turmeric powder,

1-2 tsp red chilli powder (as per your taste),

2 tsp ajwain (Carrom seeds),

Salt to taste,

Water,

Oil for frying

Method:

Apply some salt to the sliced onion and leave it aside till the onion leaves some water. Then add little gramflour (smaller quantity at a time) and mix. Note that the onion should be noticeable in the bhajis. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, ajwain and some salt (taste before you add salt since you had already applied some salt to the onion) and water and make a batter that is of dropping consistency by sticky. Heat oil for frying in a kadhai (wok) on a medium high flame for 3-4 minutes. Then lower the flame to medium-low, remove 2 tbsp of hot oil from the kadhai and add to the batter and mix well. Then drop small bhajis in the oil and fry stirring till they are cooked and crisp. If you increase the flame then the bhajis would brown quickly and remain uncooked from inside. Serve with garlic chutney, mint chutney or tomato ketchup.