Sudhama che Pohe-Dahi Pohe- Thick Betaen Rice in Yogurt.

Hello Dearies!! Dahi Pohe to most maharshtrians is what Yogurt Rice is to the southies of India. This dish is quick to assemble and can be jazzed up or toned down and has all essentials of a complete meal in itself. We always made it when Ganpati bappa was send home after the 5 day celebration at my aunty's home and we  packed him a serving of dahi pohe as shidori/ small snack on his way home. My Uncle told us that they were called Sudhamache pohe. We were too small to understand the entire story, but the legend goes as Sudhama and Lord Krishna were buddies and sharted all food and Krishna loved beaten rice. Sudhama would take some from his home whenever Krishna demanded it. Sudhama was poor and could not afford any more than that, but the Lord never differentiated between that, he enjoyed it as much every single time.  The Story is just as enjoyable as the simple bowl of dahi pohe.

 Source;

Sudama was from a poor family. His father's name is Matuka and His mother is Rocana-devi. Krishna was from the royal family. But this difference in social status did not come in the way of their friendship. They lost contact over the years and while Krishna became a military leader and King of great repute at Dwaraka, Sudama stayed as a humble and somewhat impoverished villager. Some time later when Sudama was going through some bad times, not even having enough money to feed his children, his wife Susheela reminded him of his friendship with Krishna.

 

Though initially reluctant to go to his friend for help, Sudama finally agrees to go. He leaves with nothing but some beaten rice tied in a cloth as a present. He remembers that beaten rice is Krishna's favorite and decided to give this as a gift to the Lord.

 

Krishna is greatly pleased to see his old friend. He treats him royally and with much love. Overwhelmed by all this Sudama forgets to ask for what he actually came for. But the Lord realises what His friend needs, and the Lord's consort Rukmini, incarnation of Lakshmi, gifts him with his desires. On his return journey, Sudama ponders his circumstances and is thankful for the great friend he has in Lord Krishna. When Sudama finally returns to his home, he finds a palatial mansion instead of the hut he had left. He also finds his family dressed in extremely nice garb and waiting for him. He lives an austere life after that, always thankful to the Lord.

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Coming back to our post today, Mr. Ash actually taught me how to mix the dahi and pohe. The dish is enhanced by the way it is mixed and how much love can be poured into it. When we were new to USA, this was  staple at our home, when there was  a family gathering back home, or someone was getting married and the entire family gathered except us. There was no Skype like now nor any Face-time on i Pad then. Whatever we could manage was with a small webcam provided the internet was working at the other end. To cheer us up we always had this as BLD item. Onions can be added or not, same with green chilies, what cannot be omitted is Cilantro and Dhayatli fried mirchi. Recipe for that would be coming soon. I however do not make them, Mom makes and sends them. But I will learn to make and  post it here for you all.

You will need;
3 Cups Beaten Rice- Washed in running water and drained to remove the water.
1 cup Milk
1.5 Cups Yogurt
Salt and sugar to taste
1/3rd cup Cilantro 
1 Fried Chilli
**This is special kind stuffed with yogurt and masala and dried in sun.

Optional Items- Highly recommended
1 cup onion finely chopped
2 green chillies chopped fine
1/2 inch ginger grated

Tempering;
1 tsp ghee
1tsp Jeera/Cumin
and 1/2 tsp Hing/Aesofodita.  


In a bigger bowl, take the the washed and drained beaten rice.  Fluff with a spoon and  if you find them dry, sprinkle some water. they must be damp, and not wet and soggy., Add the milk and yogurt to the rice. Then add the salt, sugar and cilantro to the mix and stir well. Break the fried chilli and  sprinkle the stuffing over the dahi pohe mix. These can be enjoyed at this stage also, which is what we did and as seen in the picture. But Mr. Ash goes further and adds the chopped onions, grated ginger, chopped green chilli and finally the tempering. For the tempering, in  a small wok, heat the ghee and let the jeera/cumin sizzle, turn off the heat and add the hing. Pour this over the rice mix, stir once and enjoy this simple treat. They cannot be kept for  a long time, as the beaten rice absorbs the yogurt and milk and  loses its crunch. If you enjoy baby food consistency, then you may enjoy them as well. I fed this to baby Donut when the days just went by doing nothing, yet having no time to make his lunch on time. He enjoyed this then and he likes this now. Some thing never change with age, I guess. However, Munchkin does not touch them with a stick. He is still coming around to simple pleasures. 

Sending this to Preeti's event. 

If you want to participate and win a free cookbook, hop onto Preeti's blog for rules and info. And kindly pray that Ms. Ash does win the awesome cookbook, so that she can learn to cook some authentic marathi food.