If you know me, you know that I love to try new foods when traveling abroad! So, I’ve been looking forward to lots of “food experiments” during this extended time in India.

My favorite is street food–the kind sold by an entrepreneurial vendor from a wobbly cart you may stumble upon on a walk around a new city, or the kind served at a tiny food stall with no printed menus where you find locals seated together eating at cramped communal tables. I’m also intrigued by anything that would be considered a “snack food” in another country. Have no idea what the snack is? Even better. I think you can learn a lot about a new place this way.

So, when I was walking with a local guide to visit some temples here in Pune (more on that in another post) we made a pit stop to try some local favorites.

Pohe (also Poha)

This is apparently a common dish and something folks here regularly prepare at home but also stop by street vendors (as we did) to eat on the go. It’s named after the flattened rice (poha) that is the main ingredient. Sachin, my guide, said it’s generally considered a breakfast food but is also eaten as a snack anytime. And it’s supposed to be quite healthy (lots of fiber and iron, low in fat, and gluten/dairy free).

My take: it’s delicious! The pohe I tried had so much flavor, interesting textures (soft, puffy rice with nuts and other mystery crunchy things on top), and you can spice it to your preference with chilis on top and choice of sauce (“gravy” here). We had one with a spicy chili sauce on the side (orange in color in the photo), but I saw other people ordering ones with a white speckled sauce that Sachin said was a less spicy option with a curd base (I learned that curd is similar to yogurt but with some differences) and milder seasonings. This is something I would definitely (try to) make at home!

On that note, I found a pohe recipe that looks pretty do-able and also this video showing how to make it step by step. And if there’s no Indian food market around, I discovered that you can buy poha on Amazon. If you’re up for a food adventure, maybe you should give it a try in your kitchen!

Sabudana vada

Sachin described this dish as flattened balls of tapioca (in small pearl form) that are deep fried in ghee (clarified butter) to make a kind of fritter. They’re served with a sauce made of curd, cucumber, chili, salt, and sugar and also a dollop of fresh chili paste or chutney. This seems to be a dish that originated here in the state of Maharashtra, although it sounds like you can get it all over India now. Apparently this is a popular food to eat before/after a fast because it is considered a high energy food that promotes digestion.

My take: When you break off a piece from the edge of the fritter, it’s crispy on the outside with a soft inside, and it’s pretty tasty when dipped into the sauce. But the middle part is quite squishy (that would be the technical foodie term), and the texture inside (remember: tapioca pearls) was something I just couldn’t get past. It was fun to try (once), though!

TLDR: Popular Maharashtra food that I’d like to eat the crispy outside of and give the gooey middle part to a friend. 🙂 But if you’d like to make it at home, here’s a recipe to try.