An Instagram account is documenting regional varieties of poha

Chura bhuja matar from Bihar

When 42-year-old Mumbaikar Nandan Mangaokar - a travel and food enthusiast - realised that his tryst with poha had turned into a mild obsession, he and his cousins joked about a sobriquet. The choices were, hold on, Poha Ali Khan and Poha Pandit. The latter seemed befitting. Mangaokar, had after all, like a dedicated researcher, tried and documented over 40 mind-boggling varieties of the way the ubiquitous flattened rice is consumed across the country, through his Instagram handle.

Doodanche fov from Goa. Pics/Nandan Mangaokar

As someone who has roots in both Mumbai and Pune, Mangaokar is no stranger to poha. But it's only when he started actively cooking during the first lockdown that, a few cups of Dalgona coffee later, he landed upon the recipe of thakkali aval, a Tamil preparation of poha with tomatoes. "When I cooked it, I was quite surprised. I realised there's a huge variety of poha in the country that goes beyond one taste," he tells us over a phone call, after having just finished his 47th preparation of poha. With the aid of the Internet and kind strangers on Instagram, the foodie drew up a region-wise list that will easily cross 60 recipes.

Sihi avalakki from Karnataka

Since last year, the Poha Pandit has been tracing not just how poha is consumed by different communities, but also the way similar ingredients are added to it in various ways. Take for instance, ingredients such as dairy and matar. "My mother adds curd to soaked poha, and throws in green chillies and coriander. When I posted about this, someone from Karnataka pointed out how they add tadka to it. Then, look at the Assamese jolpan, made with chire [poha], muri [puffed rice], curd and gur. Similarly, in Goa, doodanché fov is poha cooked in thick milk and garnished with dried fruits and nuts, while in Bengal, it's aam-kola-doi-chire [mangoes-bananas-curd-poha]," he explains. Similarly, while Maharashtrians make a mean vatanyachi pohe, in Bihar, poha is fried in oil like chivda. "Matar is cooked separately and the dish is topped with chopped onions, peanuts or chakna," he reveals.

Nandan Mangaokar

But what makes poha this popular? Mangaokar points to how the ingredient is economical and easy to whip up. "Poha is equated with Lord Krishna. He was known to like it. So, it is often found at temples as prashads, like sihi avalakki." But in a lot of cuisines, flattened rice is also a quick replacement for rice, since it can be soaked in minutes, he says, pointing to chirer pulao in Bengal and lemon aval in Tamil Nadu.

The Poha Pandit's list also features interesting non-vegetarian options, such as prawn poha and bhujing. "Members of the CKP community top poha with dried prawns, while bhujing is an East Indian delicacy made with chicken in Vasai. My list also includes a dish that involves bhetki and chire from Bengal," the blogger claims.

Apart from traditional recipes, Mangaokar has occasionally experimented with peri peri poha, and a poha smoothie, too, though he's not too proud of the latter. "A lot of the dishes are native to a region. So, I'm trying to document them. I'm often asked how I can eat poha every week. But I'm quite happy to do so, since it's a different taste every time. It is the perfect example of how we're one country with diverse cultures, united by poha," he signs off.

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Malabar aval milk

Ingredients
>> 3/4 cup of dry roasted poha (you can microwave it for 30 seconds; ensure the poha is crispy) >> 1/4 cup of roasted peanuts >> 1 cup of chilled milk >> 1 ripe banana >> 2 tbsp jaggery powder or sugar

Method
Mash a ripe banana and add the jaggery powder to it. Mix it well and keep it aside for five minutes. Roast the peanuts and poha separately. Take a tall glass. Pour in the banana jaggery mixture. Next, tip in the roasted poha. Now, top it up with the peanuts. Finally, pour in chilled milk. Stir it with a long spoon and enjoy this cold milk drink. If you want, you can garnish with some cocoa powder or tutti frutti. Those who are vegan, replace the cow milk with almond milk.