Curried poha rice, katta sambol mackerel and tomato relish
Poha is a flattened rice grain that cooks much more quickly than regular rice! Saliha serves hers with plenty of spices and smoked mackerel.
Ingredients
For the poha rice
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- handful fresh curry leaves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú frozen peas
- 150g/5½oz Tenderstem broccoli spears
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú French beans, trimmed
- 200g/7oz poha/pawa rice
- 1 lemon, juice only
- handful fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
- handful roasted peanuts with red skins on
- small handful dried coconut flakes (not desiccated coconut)
- salt
For the mackerel
- 3 hot smoked mackerel fillets
- 4 tbsp Sri Lankan katta sambol paste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the tomato relish
- ½ green chilli, roughly choppedÌý
- 1 ripe tomato, roughly chopped
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 1 handful fresh coriander
- ½ tsp caster sugar
To serve
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú pomegranate seeds
Method
To make the poha rice, heat the oil in a wok, add the onion and fry until just turning golden. Add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, cumin seeds, chilli flakes and turmeric. Stir well, ensuring that none of the spices catch. Add the peas, broccoli and beans and stir well, ensuring the vegetables are coated evenly with the spiced onion mixture. Cook the vegetables for a few minutes until softened.
Pour warm water into a large bowl. Drop the rice into the warm water and, after 15 seconds, drain with a sieve. Add the rice immediately to the wok and stir well. The rice will rehydrate completely in 1–2 minutes. Season with salt and lemon juice to taste and garnish with the coriander, peanuts and coconut flakes.
To make the mackerel, brush the mackerel with the sambol paste. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and fry the mackerel for 1 minute on each side.
To make the tomato relish, blend the ingredients with a little water for about 30 seconds in a food processor or blender to form a coarse relish.
Serve the rice topped with the mackerel fillets and with the tomato relish on the side. Scatter the pomegranate seeds on top.