Maheshwar – a sleepy little town near Indore.
Its bare dusty streets are surrounded by plain looking houses. The people living in them are simple. Yet you enter a home and you will be blinded by the vibrancy of colors meeting your eyes. Almost each home houses one or more hand-looms. Sitting behind the loom, would be a trained weaver of authentic silk sarees. You might find a woman lost in the rhythm of the looms where she is weaving, her hands playing the music that wakes up this town every dawn. Or a banyan-clad man worried about the newly designed motifs on his sarees and their sell-ability.
Maheshwar is located amidst hillocks and gets really hot due to the heat that gets trapped, Although the still waters of the Narmada flow along the town, it’s also a rain-shadow area. Hence the best place to work on cloth. This town is THE hub for handwoven sarees. It is their means of livelihood.
But beyond the sarees, if there is something that will steal your heart is the utterly delicious breakfast/snack.
Introducing, The Poha.
A dish made from dehusked flat rice flakes, poha is the preferred breakfast in this city of weavers! It has its origin in the Malwa region of India. These flakes are essentially tasteless, but add some magic to it, and you will be hooked. This particular form of raw rice is very popular across India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Spicy, sweet, crunchy, it can be prepared in a variety of styles as snacks or light fast food.
It hardly needs any cooking! It can be consumed after just soaking it in plain water or milk, and flavored with salt and sugar to taste! For a light crunchy version, it is lightly fried in oil with cardamom, nuts, raisins and other spices. In Maheshwar and Maharashtra, it is moistened, then fried lightly with mustard seeds, turmeric, green chilli, and onions.
Hot and savory, wrapped in a newspaper, topped with crunchy namkeen, and bound with a thread, this filling breakfast dish is an absolute delight.
For us though, the specialty about Poha lies is its sheer simplicity, that in turn allows for so much experimentation! Depending on the style of cooking and the chef, it comes out differently every time. Each vendor in Maheshwar has his own style of cooking and serving it. Some make it with onions, some include potatoes and some add curry leaves. Some like it spicy, some make it slightly sweet. And yet others who hit just the right balance. But no matter what, it will be delicious, that is for sure!
One of the vendors in Maheshwar let us in on the secret ingredient that makes the difference. “Lemon juice!” He said, while quickly wrapping our poha in a newspaper and handing us our ‘chai’ shot, “It must be added in the right amount as well as at the right time during the preparation.”
A package of taste and health
Poha is packed with iron. And adding lemon not only gives it a brilliant kick, it also improves the absorption of iron. In fact, it is a meal made in heaven for diabetic patients. Its simpler versions can even be fed to babies.
Poha is counted as one of the healthiest breakfast options. When made with peanuts, mixed veggies and sprouts, it makes for a satisfying meal, which is well balanced and high in protein. It is easily digestible and filling at the same time, keeping you away from all those junky temptations!
So the next time you are in Maheshwar, while sitting, introspecting on the ghat beside the calm waters of river Narmada, make sure you get yourself this scrumptious breakfast with a shot of strong masala chai. You, my friend, might just realize one of the simplest path to enlightenment.