Of long moves, packing and snacks, Pohe – flattened rice flakes and pots full of tea.
The long silence that we’ve had on this blog is thanks to hectic activity in the past couple of days. It’s’ the season of moves. While my husband and I are moving home, Akkta is going forth to start a Masters and my parents are moving homes too! All the best to Akkta for her new endeavour, may she shine bright and make us all proud! As far as our move, it’s bitter-sweet. If there is an ideal time period to settle into a town, I would peg it at 3 years. That’s how long we have been in our current township and just as the routes were getting mapped on our brains and we were developing rapports with eatery owners (foodie alert!), grocers, local businesses; it’s time to up and move.
Moving – an adventure, a deep dive into memories and a massive clean up
Every move is challenging and exciting. As a child I always loved them, though for an army kid I led a fairly settled life and didn’t hop a school each year. While the rearrangement of furniture according to a new floor plan appeals to the decorator within, the process of packing and unpacking is a tiring but cathartic experience. There are so many memories that get hidden behind the new; each layer that I remove from the bookshelf or wardrobe takes me back a few months or even a year. It’s a revelation of all that we’ve done, thought and heard from others we know. But these reminisces aside, moving is about a massive spring clean up. If you grew up in India with those floor to ceiling built-in wardrobes, you know what I mean by the ‘kabhi toh kaam aayega‘ (will be useful someday) category of things stored in the topmost shelves. Almost always, writing from experience, those things never get used. Out of sight is literally out of mind and usually a death knell for the junk rotting up there. I know some who compulsively store things, (hoarder is too harsh!) I am sure you know a few too! So, while I try to clear the clutter and pack up, I am sharing with you one of my favorite snack time/ breakfast combinations- Pohe with a cup of Ginger tea.
Pohe – an easy snack and quick breakfast
Total Cooking Time ~ 30 minutes
Pohe are flattened rice that are used mostly in rice-growing belts of the Indian subcontinent to prepare snacks. Though my family comes from north-western India, Pohe have been a part of our food repertoire for at least three generations. The version I grew up eating is a common preparation in Maharashtra. My father was posted there, but before my parents, my grandparents had already set the foundations for an inclusive and adaptive cooking style.
Prep: 10 minutes, Active cooking: 15 minutes.
Serves 4
Ingredients for Pohe
- Poha (flattened rice), 2 cups, dry
- Cooking oil, 3-4 tbsp
- Curry leaves/kadi patta, 7-10
- Green chillies, 2
- Mustard seeds/Rai, 1 tsp
- Peanuts, 1/2 cup
- Onion,chopped, 1
- Turmeric powder,1/2 to 1 tsp
- Red chilly powder, 1/2 tsp
- Salt and pepper to taste. (1 tsp approximately)
- Frozen mixed vegetables, 1 cup
- Lime/lemon, 1/2
Process
First, measure and put the pohe in a large bowl. To clean them you can do a visual check first to remove any chaff that might still be in there, this is made from rice after all! Then, wash it. Do not mush it in your hand. Gently fill the bowl of poha with water and run your hand though them. Drain the water, it will most likely be milky. Fill the bowl again and repeat until water runs clear, usually by the third wash. Next, strain pohe in a colander or large sieve and let them sit while you prepare the base or tadka.
Tadka/base
Wash curry leaves, chillies and peeled onions. Thinly chop the onion and the chillies.
Next in a wok or pan, heat oil. To this add rai seeds and washed curry leaves. Once the two are cracklings throw in the peanuts. I do not deep fry but let them roast until reddish-brown.
Once the peanuts are done, add onions. Cook for just a minute or two. I like to keep the onions a little crunchy. Add seasonings and mix well. Off late I have started adding about a cup of mixed vegetables, if you want to then do it at this stage. Let them cook for about 5 minutes or until soft.
Bring it all together
Finally, add the pohe that have been sitting in the sieve. Mix well with the base, turn the heat to low and cover. After a few minutes, uncover and add squeeze the juice of half a lime. Serve hot, garnished with coriander and accompanied with some hot and spicy tomato ketchup and homemade mint coriander chutney.
Adrakwali Chai (Ginger tea)
If you are like me then you want the snack and tea to be ready together.
Since making tea doesn’t require too much preparation, you will be able to manage it quite well. Tea is my favourite morning and evening beverage 🙂
Let’s make adrakwali chai
Time: 12 to 15 minutes
You will need a medium sized saucepan and a sieve. Cups or mugs to serve tea.
Ingredients
- Adrak/Ginger, 1 inch piece sliced
- Water, 3 cups
- Milk, about 1 cup
- Tea leaves, 2-3 tsp
- Sugar, to taste
Process
This post is like an addendum to an earlier post about tea seasonings. I had thought earlier about writing a post on ginger tea, it is a staple in the winter months, but took a while to finally get to it.
Look at the post here to see the process of making tea. It is simple, add water to a pot, put in the ginger. When using ginger, wash it well, peel it and then crush it with a pestle before adding it to the pot. Before you add tea leaves let the ginger come to a boil with the water – you will be able to smell ginger in the air in a bit. That’s when it’s ready for the tea leaves. Let them boil for at least 5 minutes before adding milk. Depending on how dark you like your tea you can vary the time and the quantity of milk.
Strain the concoction into mugs/cups and serve it hot. Enjoy with some pohe!
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for regular updates and delicious recipes.




- Poha (flattened rice), 2 cups, dry
- Cooking oil, 3-4 tbsp
- Curry leaves/kadi patta, 7-10
- Green chillies, 2
- Mustard seeds/Rai, 1 tsp
- Peanuts, 1/2 cup
- Onion,chopped, 1
- Turmeric powder,1/2 to 1 tsp
- Red chilly powder, 1/2 tsp
- Salt and pepper to taste. (1 tsp approximately)
- Frozen mixed vegetables, 1 cup
- Lime/lemon, 1/2
- Adrak/Ginger, 1 inch piece sliced
- Water, 3 cups
- Milk, about 1 cup
- Tea leaves, 2-3 tsp
- Sugar, to taste
- First, measure and put the pohe in a large bowl.
- To clean them you can do a visual check first to remove any chaff that might still be in there then fill a bowl with water and gently wash the pohe.
- Discard water, fill again and repeat until it runs clear.
- Finally strain the pohe in a colander or large sieve and let it sit while you prepare and make the base.
- Wash curry leaves, chillies and the peeled onions.
- Thinly chop the onion and the chillies.
- Next in a wok or pan, heat oil, to this add rai seeds and washed curry leaves.
- Once the two are cracklings throw in the peanuts - fry until reddish-brown.
- Once they are done, add the chopped onions and until translucent.
- Add the seasonings and mix well.
- Add about a cup of mixed vegetables, if you want to then do it at this stage, let them cook for about 5 minutes.
- Finally, add the pohe that have been sitting in the sieve.
- Mix well with the base, turn the heat to low and cover.
- Squeeze juice of half a lime, garnish with chopped coriander and serve with some hot and spicy tomato ketchup and homemade mint coriander chutney.
- When using ginger, wash it well, peel it and then crush it with a pestle before boiling it in water.
- Add water to a pot, put in the ginger and bring it to a boil.
- Once fragrant so that you can smell ginger, add tea leaves and continue to boil for a few minutes or until the desired color.
- Finally, add milk.
- Bring back to a boil and turn off the heat.
- Let it sit for a minute before sieving into cups.
- Serve with pohe or other snacks, crisps or pastries.
- Depending on how dark you like your tea you can vary the time and the quantity of milk.
[…] the ginger and garlic and herbs. What is more winter appropriate than ginger?! My day starts with ginger tea and it cannot come to a better end than with a ginger and soy flavoured […]
[…] frozen mixed vegetables. I usually use them straight out of the freezer. You could keep them in lukewarm water for a few […]
[…] This oats idli recipe is my new favourite. On my last visit to India I found ready made flavoured oats idli mixes in the markets but found them unnecessary and too small in quantity. I wanted to stock a plain oats idli flour that I could customise with different nuts and vegetables. […]
[…] of you might be having endless cups of tea, sometimes cardamom, sometimes ginger-tulsi, sometimes just good old plain chai! And of course, what better way to enjoy a rainy day than […]
[…] Since it is raining in most places in India and incidentally also in Boston where Kanika is, I thought it would be nice to share parathas that are best enjoyed in this weather with some steaming cups of chai! […]
[…] Chaas & Dalia Pohe Methi Thepla Broccoli Frittata for the ovenless Green and Hummus Sandwich Easy Scrambled Eggs […]
[…] Pohe & Adrakwali Chai/ginger tea […]
[…] Enjoy this tangy snack with a glassful of lassi/chaas or thandai or Ginger chai! […]
[…] and cut that old bread! Dip the these in the batter and fry! Goes great with a steaming cup of Adrak wali Chai and some tangy chutneys to dip them into! Watch this space for more! Recipe coming up real soon, […]
[…] with coriander mint chutney or your favourite ketchup or, both. A hot cup of adrak chai (ginger tea) is the only thing missing […]
[…] with some lassi/chaas or a steaming cup of tea! […]
[…] You’ll also like our Adrakwali Chai […]
[…] at the very thought of home-made paranthas. The perfect finish to this meal is a hot cup of Ginger Tea. […]
[…] Pohe | Flattened Rice Snack […]
[…] Pohe ~ Flattened Rice […]
[…] Pohe & Adrakwali Chai/ginger tea […]
[…] Pohe & Adrakwali Chai/ginger tea […]
[…] Pohe & Adrakwali Chai/ginger tea […]
[…] Pohe & Adrakwali Chai/ginger tea […]