Poha is one of most popular Indian Breakfast. Flattened rice cooked with spices and onions is one of healthy and tasty breakfast dish in Western India and some parts of North India.
This typical Maharashtrian dish is also quite popular in Gujarat as well as many parts of Northern India. And this is because of a reason! Poha super easy to prepare, quite filling, nutritious, tasty and light breakfast that is ready in minutes. This is a gluten-free and vegan breakfast option as well.
This is also known as Pohe. There are two mostly two variations of the poha recipe. One is Kanda poha in which poha is cooked with onions, herbs and spices. The second is Kanda batata poha.
Poha is the Marathi word for flattened or beaten rice. Onion in the state of Maharashtra is known as “Kanda” and Potato as “Batata”. So one version is just with onion and beaten rice and in other version, potatoes are also added.
This is also known as chura, aval, avalakki or chivda in other parts of India.
Some people also add other vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, peas etc. I do that quite often when I make vegetable poha.
How To Make Good Poha
Ingredients You Need
Poha or flattened rice/beaten rice
Fresh: Onions, tomato, green chillies, curry leaves, lemon juice,
Spices and Seasonings: sugar, salt, mustard seeds, turmeric powder
From the Pantry: raw peanuts and peanut oil to cook
Stepwise Method
A well-made plate of poha should ideally be fluffy with each grain separate. Preparing poha is quite simple but if you are a beginner in cooking sometimes it turns mushy and not so good.
Trust me once you learn to cook it in the right way and take care of small things You can make perfect poha each time.
- Start with rinsing flattened rice/ beaten rice in a strainer under running water.
- Drain out excess water from the beaten rice. Keep them aside these will soften up by the time you prepare tempering.
- For making tempering, heat peanut oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and curry leaves.
- When the mustard seeds start to splutter add peanuts and fry them for 2-3 minutes.
- Now add chopped onion and Fry them for 2-3 minutes.
- Add chopped green chillies and cook them for a minute.
- Add salt to taste and turmeric powder Mix well.
- Now add rinsed poha /flattened rice. Mix it well, but with gentle hands.
- Add lemon juice followed by powdered sugar. Mix them lightly with poha and cook for few more minutes. If poha feels dry sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of water and cover it for 2 minutes.
- Finally garnish the hot plate of poha with sev, grated coconut and coriander leaves and serve hot with some masala chai.
Poha Recipe in Hindi ( Watch Video)
Kanda Poha - Recipe Notes
- The right way to wash poha is rinse it in a strainer or a colander till it turns soft. Do not wash it in lots of water. It absorbs water easily and turns mushy fast while cooking.
- To test poha is perfectly cooked when you taste it it will feel dry. In that case sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of water and cover it for 2 minutes it will soften.
- Curry leaves are a must in the tempering.
- Add a lot of peanuts.
- Traditionally Kande pohe is topped with grated coconut and I simply love the taste of coconut over poha.
- If you are adding potatoes, chop them small, fry them first in oil and then make tempering for poha.
- Same goes for other vegetables if you are making vegetable poha add finely chopped carrots, beans, capsicum, boiled peas etc.
- Cook vegetables in the tempering before adding soaked beaten rice.
- You can make it with organic red poha but the look will be different in colour.
- The authentic pohe recipe a little sprinkle of sugar is also added.
- A perfect balance of this trio Chillies, lemon juice, and sugar. That’s the key to a perfect poha.
Which is Right Poha Variety?
Just like other recipes the taste and look depends on the type of beaten rice you use. There are mainly three types available based on thickness. Thin almost paper-like which is good for chivda etc.
One is thick pohe which is almost like rice, and third is medium thick. Medium-thick variety is ideal for making this kanda poha.
More Such Recipes to Try
Rava Idli
Vegetable Upma
Aloo Paratha
Gujarati Thepla
Dal Paratha
Vegetable Dalia Upma
Kanda Poha Recipe - How to Make Poha
Ingredients
- 300 g Beaten Rice pohe
- 125 g onion chopped
- 2 sprig curry leaves
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 2-3 green chilli chopped
- 1 teaspoon sugar powdered
- 2 Tbsp Oil
- 1 Tsp Mustard seeds Rai
- 75 g peanuts raw moongfali
- 4-5 Tbsp Sev
- 4-5 leaves Tbsp Coriander Dhania chopped
- 4-5 Tbsp Coconut Nariyal grated
Instructions
- Wash pressed rice/beaten rice in a strainer under running water
- Drain out excess water from the beaten rice. Keep them aside.
- Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and curry leaves.
- When the mustard seeds start to splutter add peanuts and fry them for 2-3 minutes.
- Now add chopped onion and Fry them for 2-3 minutes.
- Add chopped green chillies and cook them for a minute.
- Add salt to taste and turmeric powder Mix well.
- Now add poha /flattened rice. Mix it well, but with gentle hands.
- Add lemon juice followed by powdered sugar. Mix them lightly with poha and cook for few more minutes.
- Finally garnish the hot plate of poha with sev, grated coconut and coriander leaves and serve hot with some masala chai.
Susan Kale says
This is how my Grandmother used to make it. Now after leaving India I was missing this will try it soon. I have tried your other Maharashtrian recipes and they came out good too. Thank you for sharing such simple and delicious recipes.
Andrew Macmilan says
I will try this at home.