Indori style poha

This poha recipe / dish is popular in Indore in Central India! My usual recipe for poha is kanda poha (onion poha) from Maharashtra. This Indori poha is a very popular street food served on the streets of (you guessed it) Indore in Madhya Pradesh. It is flavoured with mustard & cumin seeds, peanuts, fennel seeds, onions and pomegranate. Sev is sprinkled on top for a delicious crunch ! This poha recipe is spicy, tangy but also sweet. 

The unique flavour of this poha comes from a special spice blend called jeeravan masala. This contains spices like chaat masala, chilli powder and cumin powder. I don't have this masala at home, but you can simply around 1/2 tsp each of these individual spices to get the same desired effect. Serve this Indori poha with some chai or coffee for a tasty snack - or even breakfast!

Ingredients 
250g (2 cups) poha use medium or thick poha - thin poha won't work for this recipe 
Handful red skin peanuts few tbsp 
10 curry leaves 
1 large red onion finely chopped 
1 green chilli finely chopped 
Small piece of ginger finely chopped
Pomegranate seeds to garnish 
Sev (Indian gram flour noodles) to garnish 
Handful freshly chopped coriander to garnish
2 tsp sugar 
1 tsp salt or to taste 
Water as required 
Vegetable oil as required 

You'll need these spices 
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds 
1 tsp mustard seeds 
1 tsp turmeric 
1/2 tsp chaat masala
1/2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder 
1/2 tsp cumin powder 

Method 
Time - 20 minutes 

• Rinse the poha in a sieve under cool water to remove excess starch. Set aside. 
  
  
• In a large kadai or frying pan on medium-low heat, add a few tbsp vegetable oil. When hot, add the peanuts and roast them until golden and slightly charred. 
  
  
• Move the peanuts to one side of the pan, leaving the oil on the other side.  Add the cumin, mustard seeds, and fennel seeds to the oil. Let them splutter for 10-15 seconds and then add the ginger, curry leaves and green chillies. Saute for a minute. 
  
  
• Add the onions and cook them until translucent and soft. When the onions are soft, add the poha and a splash water. Add the turmeric and mix well - you want each poha flake to turn a pale yellow. 
  
  
• Cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Don't overcook otherwise it will go mushy - you still want to have individual poha flakes. 
  
  
• When the poha is soft and cooked through, add the remaining spices. Also add salt to taste and the sugar. Mix well. 
  
  
• Finish with the freshly chopped coriander, pomegranate seeds and sev. Serve warm with a cup of coffee for a complete and satisfying breakfast!

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