Poha with Poached Eggs

Method

1. Wash and cut the potatoes into one-centimetre sized dice. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and sauté the potatoes until golden brown and cooked through: about twelve to fifteen minutes. When done, remove them from the pan and set aside.

2. Toast the peanuts in a dry pan over a medium heat. Give them five to ten minutes tossing regularly to make sure they are toasted evenly. When done, set those aside as well.

3. Put the flattened rice into a colander and rinse it under cold running water for just a minute. Let the colander drain over a bowl while you get on with the rest of the dish.

4. Finely chop the red onion and the green chillies. Leave the seeds in if you like a little heat; remove them if you want a milder dish. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in the pan you used to sauté the potatoes. Add the mustard and cumin seed, and the curry leaves. Cook for a minute, until the mustard seeds start to pop, then add the onion and chopped chillies. Cook for a few minutes until the onions soften. Add the turmeric, sultanas, and desiccated coconut. Sauté for another minute and add the cooked potato. Remove from the heat.

5. Put the flattened rice into a bowl with the sugar and salt and use a fork to softly mix those through the rice.

6. Get a large pan filled two-thirds with water on to boil for the eggs and make the yoghurt dressing. Grate the garlic and add it to a bowl along with the yogurt, salt, honey and lemon juice. Whisk to combine well and taste, adding more salt or lemon juice to taste. Ser aside until you are ready to serve.

7. Put the pan with your poha ingredients back on the heat. Add the flattened rice, mix well to combine everything in the pan. Add a few tablespoons of water and cover with a lid. Let it sit over a low heat for about five minutes while you make poach the eggs.

8. The internet abounds with instructions on how to cook the perfect poached egg. Typically, instructions usually involve adding vinegar to the water, but I hate how that taints the eggs with a vinegary flavour, so I never do it. The next most common piece of advice is to create a whirlpool in the saucepan of water by stirring it in wide circles with the ladle of a wooden spoon. You then gently crack the egg into the centre of the whirlpool so that the vortex spins it around, to form a perfectly shaped poached egg. I have done this, and it works very well, but it means you can only cook one egg at a time, and let’s face it, life is too short for that. Added to which will your family of friends will likely not thank you for taking an extra fifteen minutes just to poach four eggs.

9. Instead, I cook all four eggs at the same time. To do this, simply reduce the large pan of boiling water to a very low heat so that it is still and not bubbling. Crack the eggs into ramekins or cups, and gently pour each egg into the water. Let the eggs cook for four minutes until the whites are firm but the yolk is soft. Cook for longer if you prefer a firmer yolk. When they are cooked to your taste, use a slotted spoon to remove them one at a time.

10. While the eggs are poaching, temper the spices. Heat a little oil in a small pan over a high heat. Reduce the heat to medium when the oil is very hot and add the spices and curry leaves. When the seeds start to pop, take the pan off the heat.

11. By now your poha will be ready. Finish it with the juice of half a lemon and lots of freshly chopped coriander, and stir those in. Taste and add more seasoning if needed.

12. Divide the poha across four warm pasta bowls or plates. Add a generous spoonful of the yoghurt dressing and a poached egg. Drizzle over some of the tempered spices and scatter with a little more chopped coriander. Serve immediately.