Kanda Poha – A Taste of Home and a Thousand Memories

This is one of those dishes that instantly takes me back to childhood. Mum would make Kanda Poha for breakfast, or sometimes for tea time — tea in India meaning the 4–5:30 pm snack, not to be confused with British “tea”, which I quickly learned actually means dinner or supper. As you can imagine, that took a little getting used to when I first moved to the UK.

Another fun fact: in Maharashtra (I grew up in Mumbai, the capital of the state), arranged marriages are the norm. There would often be informal home visits where the boy’s family would come over so the prospective bride and groom could meet. The snack of choice for these occasions? Kanda Poha. So much so that these meetings themselves are casually referred to as “Kanda Pohe”. If you know, you know 🙂

Simple, comforting, tangy, slightly sweet, and deeply satisfying, this is my mum’s way of making it. My sister cooked this for us when she visited us recently 🙂

Ingredients

• 2 cups thick flattened rice (jada poha)
• ½ medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 boiled potatoes (optional), chopped
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• 10–15 curry leaves
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ cup desiccated coconut
• ¼ cup roasted peanuts
• Juice of ½ large lemon
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ½ tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp ghee
• Salt to taste

Method

I heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and add the cumin seeds. Once they begin to splutter, I add the green chilli and curry leaves and sauté for about a minute.

Next, I add the chopped onion and sauté for 3–4 minutes until softened. By this point, the kitchen is wonderfully fragrant. I then add the turmeric powder and roasted peanuts and let everything cook together for another 2 minutes.

I add the sugar, lemon juice, and desiccated coconut, mix well, and cook for about 4 minutes.

In a separate vessel, I soak the thick poha in hot water for 30 seconds and drain. I repeat this once more for another 20–30 seconds, then drain again. It’s important to be careful here, as poha can turn soggy very quickly.

I gently add the soaked poha to the pan, season with salt, and sprinkle over the chopped coriander. I mix carefully so the poha doesn’t break, cover the pan, lower the heat, and let it steam for 3–4 minutes.

The result is a bowl of tangy, spicy, lightly sweet Kanda Poha — just like home.

Notes

• Adding boiled potatoes makes this dish more filling. If using them, add the potatoes after the onions have sautéed and mix well before continuing with the rest of the recipe.
• A final drizzle of ghee just before serving takes it to another level.