Red Kanda Poha
Think of a healthy Indian breakfast to kickstart the day and poha is probably the first option that comes to our mind. As such, poha is said to be beneficial because it contains gut bacteria which aids in digestion.
Today, let me introduce you to one of the healthier cousin of beaten white rice: Red Rice Poha. When cooked with traditional ingredients or given a continental twist, it makes for an even healthier breakfast that helps in weight loss. Red poha is a little coarse in texture than the regular white variant. While the taste is quite easy to like, most take time to accept the texture but once you do, you are bound to include it in your regular diet.
The red colour is due to the presence of a pigment called anthocyanin, which is also a flavonoid. Moreover, unlike white rice, red rice doesn't undergo excessive processing, and as such the outer bran layer remains intact, which is rich in fiber, vitamin B, and minerals like calcium, zinc, iron, manganese, magnesium etc. Red rice is also enriched with antioxidants that help in fighting free radicals in our body, preventing the risk of diseases like cancer.
My choice for the day: Red rice poha.
Off late, I've switched to kanda poha, the traditional Maharashtrian way of cooking poha, where I've done away with all the veggies, I used to add earlier, like peas, french beans, carrot, capsicum, tomato and stick only to onions, boiled potatoes, curry leaves and lots of peanuts. Probably what I'm loving about this traditional version is the mix of different flavours and textures - it's spicy, tangy, sweet and crunchy all at once. Mustard seeds for that crackle, peanuts to give the crunch, onions to impart sweetness, boiled potatoes to lend a certain tenderness, fresh herbs like coriander and curry leaves to add colour and freshness, green chillies to up the heat and finally the squeeze of lime for that special zing. Oh! sprinkle of haldiram bhujiya on top, to give the last finishing touches. Simple to cook but it tastes divine!
I enjoyed it with freshly prepared coriander-mint-green chilli, raw mango and raisins chutney.
