Aloo Poha / Potato Aval Upma

Poha or aval is nothing but beaten rice flakes. Since rice is beaten into thin flakes, it cooks in no time and is a fantastic time saver when you are strapped for time and need to put a filling meal on the table. The versatility of poha lends itself to several kinds of dishes - from simple salads, snacks, main dishes, to desserts. And you can make the dishes as low-key or as fancy as you would like. 

Plain aval upma is usually put together with no vegetables. The rice flakes are soaked in hot water for a few minutes, during which time they plump and cook. They are then sauteed and stir-fried with some oil and mild spices, and that's it - an energizing meal is ready in minutes. Commonly, lemon juice or grated coconut or tamarind extract is added to make lemon aval, coconut aval or tamarind aval. By adding more vegetables and nuts, the upma is dressed up a little more, and is both more nutritious and appetizing! In this version, my mom adds lemon juice, coconut, and potatoes to make a flavorful upma!

It sounds like a carb-fest to add potatoes to rice flakes, but they go so well together, it's hard to resist! This is often called poor man's food, but don't let such titles trick you into not trying this simple, hearty meal. 

Ingredients (generously serves 6):

1. 3 cups beaten rice flakes / aval / poha
2. 1 red onion, finely chopped
3. 1.5 cups finely chopped potatoes (to save time, you can add boiled potatoes)
4. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5. 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
6. 2 teaspoons split urad dal / split, husked black gram / ulutham paruppu
7. 2 teaspoons bengal gram / kadala paruppu / channa dal
8. a few curry leaves
9. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
10. 1/4 cup peanuts (optional)
11. 2 green chillies, cut into two
12. 2 teaspoons ghee / clarified butter
13. 1/2 cup grated coconut
14. The juice of 1.5 - 2 lemons (depending on how tart the lemons are)
15. 1/3 cup cilantro / coriander leaves
16. Salt, as needed

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. When hot, add mustard seeds and wait for them to pop. Then, add urad dal, bengal gram, peanuts, curry leaves, and green chillies. Fry until the pulses and nuts begin to change color. 
2. Add onions and turmeric powder and saute until onions are soft. 
3. Add the potatoes, sprinkle some water and salt, reduce the heat to low, close the pan and let the potatoes cook. Periodically check the potatoes so that they don't stick to the pan.
4. As the potatoes are cooking, rinse the poha and soak it in hot water that just barely covers the poha. Do not soak it in too much water. In about 10 minutes, the poha would have absorbed the water and plumped. This is about the time when the potatoes would have also been cooked.
5. When the potatoes are cooked, add the poha and mix well. Check for seasonings and add more salt if needed. 
6. Switch off the heat. In the remaining heat, stir in ghee and mix. Sprinkle grated coconut and lemon juice and give another gentle mix.

 Finally, garnish with coriander leaves and serve with a spicy side-dish.