Poha Paradise

Where you should head if you want to dig into the fluffiest poha in Bangalore.

On a sunny Saturday morning in Bangalore’s Koramangala, Mr Foodakris and I are still recovering from a hangover. Now is the time to eat something - something not too oily, perhaps a little light, fluffy and a good deal spicy. Our Koramangala friend V suggests that we try some Indori-style poha in the neighbourhood. Now anyone who knows poha also knows how the Indori variety is easily the most scrumptious. Mr Foodakris and I indulge in a throwback to the best poha we have had so far - not in Indore (never been there), but in Pushkar, Rajasthan. For a measly 20 rupees, the husband and I had eaten two plates of poha, served up in newspaper and garnished with tomatoes and coriander. In fact, so well-made was the poha that we did an encore on our next morning in Pushkar.

But what are the chances of getting such yummy poha right here in Bangalore, miles away from Indore/ Pushkar? I tell Mr Foodakris how I am not excited by the thought of eating rubbery poha for breakfast, especially not in a place like Koramangala, which is known for its fancy eateries offering world cuisine. But V insists that the poha at the Bikaner Sweets Centre will not disappoint.

Located near Wipro Park, this is yet another north Indian sweet mart at first glance, except that it has a snaking queue outside the storefront. This vote of confidence is heartening to see and we march on to join the line.

A sharp smell of freshly made poha wafts in towards us and my fears are assuaged. A swift five minutes later, we both have plates of steaming hot poha plonked in our hands and it’s everything V told us it would be: soft, light, fluffy and topped off with crunchy onions and chevda/ boondi. We forget that this place has no tables to sit at or even much place to stand for that matter. Another plate is ordered and this can only mean one thing: the poha is a great antidote to hangovers ;).

To round it up, we get a plate of jalebis and on a full happy stomach, we are ready to take on the world.