Batata Poha

Batata pohe is one of my favorite snack. Batata Pohe is a spaciality of Maharashtra, which is is easy and simple to prepare.

 

 Ingredients:

3 cups medium raw poha

1/8 cup diced raw potatoes

1/8 cup chopped onions 

1/8 cup  chopped tomatoes

1/8 cup finely chopped cucumbers

1 gated medium carrot

4 green chillies finely chopped

salt to taste

3 tbsps lemon juice

3 tbsps finely chopped cilantro

Vaggarane

Sev (optional)

Method:

1. Wash Pohe well and drain thoroughly. Keep it aside.
2. Heat a pan and prepare vaggarane. Add potatoes. Fry till the potatoes are half baked. Add onions, cucumbers, grated carrot, green chillies and tomatoes. Cook till all the vegetables are done.
3. Add wet poha, sprinkle salt and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring occassionally,  till poha is soft.
4. Add lemon juice and cilantro. Mix well. 
5. Garnish with sev and serve hot.

Mooli-Gajar (Radish & Carrot) Paratha

Making kids eat their vegetables is a hassle. Luckily, my son eats anything that looks like Paratha! So, its a big hit in our house. This afternoon, he wanted to eat Spinach Paratha, but I said I would make a different kind of Paratha. He was skeptical about the taste! But he loved the hot mooli-gajar parathas.

Ingredients:

1 cup grated white mooli (radish)

2 cups grated gajar (carrots)

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tsp chili powder (optional)

3 tbsps finely chopped cilantro

1 tsp amchur

salt to taste

3 cups of whole wheat flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour for dusting

Plain curd as needed

oil for greasing

Method:

1. Mix grated radish, carrot, cumin seeds, chili powder, cilantro, amchur and sprinkle salt. Mix well and keep it aside for 30 minutes. Mix whole wheat flour in the vegetable mixture. If the mixture is very hard, mix curd to make it loose. Do not use water to loosen dough as Parathas will become chewy.
2. Keep the dough aside for 20 minutes. Make fistful of dough balls, dust them with whole wheat flour and roll them with rolling pin on a flat surface.
3. Sprinkle oil on the top side and put the oiled side facing down on the hot tawa (skillet). Bake till done on both sides. Repeat for remaining balls of dough.
   
4. Serve hot with butter, curd and chutney.

Hacchida Churamuri (Mamra/Kurmure)

This is all time favorite at home. Since its low fat option, I dont think twice to give it my son as a snack. You find this snack mostly in trains. Aah, the smell of raw onions, tomatoes and mamra!!! Makes my mouth water any time and reminds me of all the childhood train journeys with my family.

Ingredients:

6 cups white Kolhapuri mamra
1/4 cup raw peanuts
1/4 cup puthani (dalia)
5-6 dried chilies
salt to taste
1/8 cup oil for vaggarane (tadka)

Method:

1. In a large pan, heat oil and prepare vaggarane.
2. Add red chilies, raw peanuts and dalia. Fry till the raw smell is gone.
3. Add mamra, salt and mix well.
4. Let cool before storing. Serve as snack with tea/coffee.

Variation:

1/4 cup each - finely chopped tomato, onion and cilantro
2 tbsps of lemon juice.
1 tbsp finely chopped green chilies
3 cups of prepared mamra

Mix all the ingredients and serve immediately with tea or coffee.

Hacchida Avalakki (Chivada/Poha)

Avalakki (Poha) is a speciality of North Karnataka which is also allowed during ekadashi (fasting on 11th day of Lunar calendar) or any upavas. Its the easiest and tastiest snack anyone could prepare. At home, its the favorite snack of DH and DS. DH likes it with tomatoes and cucumber; and DS with plain curd.

The poha should be crisp. Back in India when my mom or grandmother made avalakki, we used to spread the poha on a large piece of cloth in the sun for about 2 hours and it would poha crispy. Staying here in AZ, getting enough sunlight to make poha crispy has never been a problem for me. But you can also make it crispy by spreading poha on cookie sheets and heating them for 10 minutes in the oven at 375 deg. Or I follow the easiest way, that is to put the poha on low heat for nearly 20 minutes while you keep mixing it.

Ingredients:

6 cups of raw thin Poha
1/4 cup raw peanuts
1/4 cup puthani (dalia)
5-6 dried chilies
salt to taste
1/8 cup oil for vaggarane (tadka)
1/8 cup thinly sliced dry coconut (optional)

Method:

1. In a large pan, heat oil and prepare vaggarane.
2. Add red chilies, raw peanuts, dalia and dry coconut pieces. Fry till the raw smell is gone.
3. Add poha, salt and mix well.
4. Let cool before storing. Serve as snack with tea/coffee.

Variations:

1. This variation can be used as breakfast in the morning or in the evening. Make sure you dont add onions if serving it in the morning.

1/4 cup each finely chopped tomatoes, onions and cucumbers
3 tbsps finely chopped cilantro
5 tbsps grated coconut
3 tbsps lime juice
2 finely chopped green chillies (optional)
Sev to garnish (optional)

Mix all the above with 3 cups of Poha. Garnish with thin sev. Serve immediately.

2. Mix 1 cup of poha with 1/4 cup plain curd. Serve immediately.