Poha Recipe - Want a healthy and filling way to kick-start your day, grab a plate of poha. That one breakfast item every Maharashtrian has grown up having is poha. As much as being nostalgic, it is also nutritional. Let’s look at two quick ways of making Poha!
ABOUT POHA
Poha recipe is a light breakfast dish. Basically, poha is made by mixing flattened rice in a mix of seasoned spices and onions. It is ridiculously easy to make!
To make it more nutritious you can add boiled peas, grated carrots, roasted peanuts, cashews and garnish with coriander leaves (cilantro leaves) and grated coconut. There are many variations of the recipe. Example: If you are adding potatoes then you can either fry them or steam them. One more tasty version is Indori Poha which has fennel seeds as one of the spices.
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INGREDIENTS FOR KANDA POHA
- 1.5 cups poha (thick variety) – red or white beaten rice or flattened rice
- ½ cup finely chopped onions or 1 medium-sized onion
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 to 2.5 tablespoon peanuts
- 10 to 12 curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon chopped green chillies or serrano peppers or 1 to 2 green chillies
- 1 teaspoon sugar or add as required
- 2 tablespoons oil – sunflower, peanut or any neutral tasting oil
- salt as required
- 2 to 3 tablespoons coriander leaves (cilantro)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or add as required
- 2 to 3 tablespoons grated coconut or add as required
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS FOR KANDA POHA
- Rinse 1.5 cups thick poha (flattened rice) in water until they soften. Use a strainer or colander to rinse these light rice flakes. Remember not to rinse them too much or else they will break and become mushy. During rinsing, they will absorb water and soften. The poha flakes ideally should soften but remain in shape and intact. If they do not become soft, sprinkle some splashes of water on them so that they absorb some extra water.
- Drain all of the water. The poha should lose their crunchiness, crispiness and when you break them between your finger, they should easily get crushed or mashed. Set them aside.
- Now add 1 teaspoon of sugar (or as required), salt as per taste and ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder to the poha. Use your hands or a spoon to gently mix the poha.
- Dry roast 2 to 2.5 tablespoons peanuts in a heavy pan until they become crunchy.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the same pan. Crackle the mustard seeds first. Use peanut oil or sunflower oil or any neutral flavoured oil.
- Then add ½ cup finely chopped onions. Sauté them until they become translucent and soften.
- Add 10 to 12 curry leaves and 1 teaspoon of chopped green chillies. Sauté this for some seconds.
- Add the roasted peanuts and stir.
- Add poha to the kadhai and mix gently.
- Cover and steam for about 2 minutes on low heat.
- Switch off the heat and let poha remain covered for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove the lid and sprinkle 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves and 2 to 3 tablespoons grated coconut.
- Mix gently and serve.
- Serve kanda poha hot or warm with ginger chai or hot coffee. You can also sprinkle some sev while serving.
INGREDIENTS FOR BATATA POHA
- 1.5 cups poha – thick variety (flattened or parched rice)
- 1 teaspoon sugar or as required
- salt as required
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoon peanuts
- 2 to 2.5 tablespoon oil – peanut, sunflower or any neutral oil
- 1 medium potato – chopped into small cubes
- ¾ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ⅓ cup finely chopped onions or 1 medium-sized onion
- 1 teaspoon chopped green chillies or 1 to 2 green chillies
- 8 to 9 curry leaves (medium to large-sized)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons grated coconut
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
COOKING INSTRUCTION FOR BATATA POHA
- Pick 1.5 cups thick poha first. Rinse them in clean running water in a strainer or colander. Make sure not to overdo the rinsing. This will make them mushy and pasty.
- Rinsing in fresh clean water softens them as they absorb water.
- Sprinkle ¼ to ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon sugar and salt as required in poha.
- Use your hands or a spoon to gently mix the poha.
- Roast 2 tablespoons peanuts in a heavy pan until they become crunchy. Let them sit aside.
- Peel 1 medium-sized to large potato and chop them into small cubes. In the same heavy kadai or pan heat 2 to 2.5 tablespoons oil. Sauté the potatoes in medium hot oil.
- Once the potatoes become light golden and crisp then remove them with a slotted spoon draining the extra oil. Set these aside with the roasted peanuts.
- In the same kadai, there will be some oil left. Add ¾ teaspoon mustard seeds to the hot oil. If there is no oil, then add 1 tablespoon oil and heat it gently.
- When the mustard seeds splutter, add ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds.
- When the cumin seeds splutter, add ⅓ cup finely chopped onions. Sauté the onions until they become translucent and soften.
- Now add 8 to 9 curry leaves (medium to large sized), 1 teaspoon chopped green chillies and roasted peanuts. Mix well.
- Gently add poha to the kadhai.
- Mix gently with the rest of the mixture.
- Add the potatoes and mix very well. Cover the pan tightly with a lid for poha to get steamed for about 2 minutes on low heat. Remove the lid and check the taste and if required add more salt and sugar.
- Garnish with 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) and 2 to 3 tablespoons grated fresh coconut. Mix gently.
- Serve kanda batata poha hot or warm with chopped lemon pieces. The lemon juice has to be squeezed on poha before eating it.
- Alternatively, you could also follow this method. When the poha recipe is cooked, sprinkle about 1 to 2 teaspoons lime juice on it. Mix it with the kanda batata poha and then garnish with grated coconut and coriander leaves.
These were the two most popular ways of making poha. If you haven’t yet tried them, you should definitely give them a go!