Kande Pohe. If you've had too much of this, you aren't an ideal partner!

A Korean friend once told me that if a woman could make delicious kimchi, she was regarded as a good cook. Similarly, in Maharashtrian culture, a preparation of Kande Pohe (कांदे पोहे) is indicative of the woman's culinary abilities. 

Chivda

Chivada (चिवडा) is a generic name for salty preparations usually consumed as snacks. They can be made from flattened rice, potatoes, corn flakes or even sago. Chivada is crispy and some varieties like sago tend to be a tad bit sweet. 
Here's my family's recipe that uses the thin variety of flattened rice/pohe, पातळ पोहे . 

Chivda tastes great with a cup of tea!

Dudh Pohe

Dudh Pohe ( दुध पोहे ) translates to milk and pohe and that's exactly what you need to make this recipe. It's so easy to make, you can whip it up in seconds.Here's the recipe:

Serves 1

Ingredients:

Pohe	35 g (thick variety)
Milk	120 ml
Jaggery/Sugar	2 tsp

Method:
1.Wash the pohe under running water and drain them. Let them sit on the counter-top for 5 minutes to soak up the moisture. This softens the pohe.
2. In a bowl, combine milk and jaggery pieces. You can dissolve the jaggery in the milk but personally, I like to bite into an occasional sweet jaggery rock while eating dudh pohe.
3.Now add the pohe to the bowl and mix again.Your'e done!

This recipe will give you ~240 calories.

Kol Pohe

Kol Pohe ( कोळ पोहे ) is a snack which uses a flavoured coconut milk with pohe to become extremely delectable. Kol refers to tamarind pulp, which is used in the chutney and gives the dish it's unique taste.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Pohe (thick variety)            180 g
Salt                                     1/2tsp
Thick Coconut Milk           200 ml
Water                                  200 ml +2 tsp
Tamraind Chutney              3 Tbsp
Coriander                            To Garnish

For the tempering
Oil                                      5 tsp
Mustard Seeds                   1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves                     15-20
Garlic                                 4 cloves, finely chopped
Green chilli                        1, finely chopped
Cumin Seeds                      1/2 tsp
Redchilli Powder               1/4 tsp
Asafoetida                          1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder                1/4 tsp

Method:

1.Wash the pohe under running water.Drain them and mix them with the salt and 2 tsp of water. Microwave the pohe for 3-5 minutes.
2.Mix the coconut milk and water along with the tamarind chutney.
3.To make the tempering, heat oil in a pan and add the ingredients one by one in the above mentioned order.Turn off the heat.
4.Once the tempering has completely cooled, add it to the coconut milk mixture and mix well.
To seve this dish, add the cooked and cooled pohe in a bowl.Pour the coconut milk mix over them just untill they completely submerge. Garnish with coriander. Voilà

This recipe needs to be immediately consumed.

This recipe will give you ~1490 calories

Pohe

Pohe ( पोहे ) is also known as pressed rice, flaked rice or flattened rice . It is de-husked parboiled rice that is pressed into flat, dry flakes. Pohe is normally used to prepare snacks or light and easy fast food in a variety of Maharashtrian recipes.The thickness of these flakes varies. There are 2 varieties, the thin and the thick one. 

The two varieties of pohe; Thick (L) and Thin (R)

The thick variety is usually used in recipes where the pohe are soaked in water for about two minutes and then drained. It is more often than not, added to dishes with a flavourful liquid like Kol Pohe or Dudh Pohe. There is no liquid in Kande Pohe, but the thick variety is soaked in water and drained  before cooking which ensures it absorbs flavours of all the spices. The thin variety is used for the crunch it lends to the recipie after toasting. Its commonly used in recipes like Dadpe Pohe and Chiwda, which is a staple in our kitchen.
Pohe are light and easy to digest. They're very popular across India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Pohe is considered diabetic friendly as they slowly release sugar into the blood stream. They're rich in fibre, carbohydrates and iron, a mineral that keeps haemoglobin levels intact. Iron is especially essential, during growing stages of children, for expectant mothers and lactating women.

Dadpe pohe

Dadpe Pohe ( दडपे पोहे ) is a snack recipe but since we love it so much, we end up having it for dinner too!
The main ingredient is pohe, also known as rice flakes or flatened rice.Use the thin variety for best results.

Serves 3

Ingredients:

Pohe/ Flattened Rice                120 gms
Fresh Scraped Coconut            100 gms
Onion                                      80 gms
Salt                                         To taste  (~1-1.5 tsp)
Sugar                                      1 tsp
Oil                                           2 Tbsp
Mustard seeds                         1.5 tsp
Chillies                                    3 (Cut into 1 inch pieces)
Asafoetida                               1.5 tsp
Turmeric powder                       1.5 tsp
Coriander                                30 gms

Method:

1.Bake the rice flakes at 100°C for 15 minutes. Let them cool.
2.Chop the onion into medium sized pieces.While you're at it, chop the coriander as well.
3.Make the tempering by heating oil in a kadhai. Add the mustard seeds, chillies, asafoetida and turmeric powder.Let it cool.
4.Mix together the coconut, onion, coriander, salt, sugar and the cooled tempering.Mix it well.
5.Now, add the pohe and mix it again.You're done!

You can serve this with roasted papad.

This needs to be consumed immediately.

This recipie will give you ~1080 calories.