Aloo Poha ~ Atukulu Upma

Atukulu Upma ~ Savoury Rice Flakes

Its been a long time again.... I posting on my blog, my laptop has given up on me :( and was left with no choice than to depend on my friend's laptop for surfing and stuff . So I was not able to blog anything so far. One more thing I wanted to share is I am going to India for a vacation in March. Pretty much excited about the whole trip, I am going to my Desh (country) after a span of 3.3yrs and my feet are really not on ground right now. My laptop is here and wanted to blog few of my favorite recipes before I become busy with my trip preps, shopping, packing..

Aloo Poha is one of my favorite breakfast/snack and is a very easy to make recipe. I can have this anytime in substitution for my lunch or dinner, it makes me so full, obviously because its made of rice. I think this is great breakfast for bachelors who have limited resources and minimum experience in cooking. During my hostel days we had this on the menu daily and honestly, I got bored eating that daily there :) but again its my favo.... Am I contradicting? do you think so? But anyways here is my mother's recipe which she learned from one of her Maharashtrian friend.

Source: My Mother

Cuisine: Indian~Maharashtrian

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Serves: 4 people

Ingredients:
2.5 C thick Poha/flattened rice flakes
(from Indian groceries)

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 large potato, thinly diced or boiled ones
3-4 green chillies, cut into small pieces
Handful of frozen green peas (optional)
Handful of peanuts
small bunch of cilantro, chopped finely
4-5 curry leaves
Juice of 1 small lemon/lime
grated coconut of garnishing (optional)
pinch of haldi/turmeric powder
1t jeera/cumin
1t mustard seeds
1t urad dal/black gram
1t chana dal/bengal gram
2T cooking oil
salt as per taste

Method:

1. Wash the rice flakes/atukulu thoroughly only once in cold water, drain immediately to avoid sogginess and keep aside for few mins. You will notice that the flakes becomes plumpy as they absorb any excess water. Chop onions, green chillies, potato.
2. Heat oil in a wide pan and add the mustard, let it splutter for a min and then add urad dal/black gram and cumin/jeera, chana dal/bengal gram and curry leaves. Let it fry for a min and add the raw peanuts. Fry till it they are brown in color.
3. Meanwhile mix some salt in the soaked poha and mix well with your hands. Dont use spoon/spatula it may break the flakes.
   
4. Add onions, diced potato, green peas and green chillies to the pan . Let it cook for few mins or till the potatoes are done if you are taking the fresh one instead of boiled one. Add turmeric and mix well and then add the salted poha to it.
   
5. Mix well and let it sit on the flame for 3 more mins. Add the lime/lemon juice and chopped cilantro and mix well so that the juice is evenly distributed.
   
6. Before serving garnish with freshly grated coconut.

Thanks to Asha for reminding about two events related to potato going on in food blogosphere. I am sending this entry to Sia host of Ode to Potato and to Dhivya host of The Potato Fe(a)st.