Actress Priyanka Chopra started the year on a high, by welcoming a baby boy in the Jonas-Chopra household. Both Priyanka and Nick took to Instagram to share the good news, while ‘respectfully asking’ for privacy for their baby. ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ star has a lineup of very interesting projects both home and abroad, including ‘Jee Le Zara’, the female multi-starrer which will also star Katrina and Alia. Priyanka is touring non-stop for so many years, that she can indeed be called a ‘global citizen’ now, until of course, you present her with an ultimate ‘Desi’ feast.
Priyanka, who also turned into a restaurateur, with her Indian restaurant Sona in New York last year, recently enjoyed a grub of delicious poha, aloo gobhi ki sabzi and dhokla in LA. That’s right, those were three of India’s most beloved breakfast foods on the 'Desi Girl’s' plate. The poha tossed with capsicum, onions, and mustard seeds, was particularly so impressive, that Priyanka also decided to give a shout out to the place from where it was from. The very nostalgic Priyanka Chopra wrote in her caption, “Poha in La that took me back to mumbai! Thank you @hungryempire @wholesam”.
For the uninitiated, poha is a light, Indian breakfast food that comprises flattened rice flakes that are tossed with mustard seeds, curry leaves, chopped onions and spices. There are many different versions of Poha across the central-western belt of India. For instance, the Indori poha is steamed with a little bit of sugar, and it is also topped with crunchy sev and before it is served. While in Mumbai’s Kanda Poha, Poha is topped with chopped onions or kanda. In the Tari Poha, Poha is topped with a thin, runny but fiery gravy also called Tari or Tarri.
Instagram story by @priyankachopra
Poha is probably one of the easiest dishes that you can rustle up in a matter of minutes. Here are some tips that may be helpful.
- Wash the poha very well, ensure there is no dirt. Then use a strainer and drain all water.
- Do not let the poha dry off completely, else it will start burning when you are cooking it on the pan.
- One good way to optimise your time is to immediately start working on the masala of the Poha, while you have left it to drain.
- Heat oil, and only when it crackles add jeera or mustard seeds. Sautee a little.
- Then add chopped onions, garlic, ginger, green chillies, green peas, or whatever veggies you want to use. Sautee until the rawness of onions disappears.
- Mix the drained poha and masala gently and serve.
