if you do not have poha on hand, you can make this spiced crab dish with leftover rice. I recommend investing in a package of poha though, because it is flattened rice that rehydrates and cooks in a flash and, in using it, you can have a proper dinner on the table in five minutes. Some evenings that is a life changer.
This serves two people, or one person for dinner with a salad and the rest in an omelet for lunch the next day.
1 cup of poha
8 oz of crab claw meat, picked over to check for shells
1/2 cup of frozen peas
1/3 cup finely chopped white or yellow onion
1 Tbsp butter
3 curry leaves
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp white pepper
Salt to taste
Place the poha in a bowl of cold water while you chop your onion, measure your spices, pick through your crab, and get organized in general. Ten minutes or so is fine. Drain.
Add your butter, spices and onion to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent and the spices smell delicious.
Add the frozen peas, the poha and one tablespoon of water to the pan. Stir to combine well with the spices so that the entire mixture turns turmeric golden, lower the heat and cover. Let cook for five minutes.
Remove the cover, stir the crab in gently, and cook for an additional two minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the poha from catching on the bottom of the pan.
Check for seasoning and serve at once. Some lemon on the side for squeezing over the poha is nice.