Poha | How to make Poha | Kanda Poha |Onion Poha, a staple Indian breakfast and a perfect evening snack .Made with flattened rice flakes /beaten rice, tempered with onions, green peas, carrots and crispy peanuts with perfect aroma of curry leaves and adding a little spice with green chilies.
Poha is a originally a Maharashtrian dish.The word ‘POHA’ means beaten rice.The original recipe is very spicy and to balance that a bit of sugar is added.Also some recipes substitute sugar with grated or sliced coconut.I too like the flavor of coconut powder i.e. desiccated coconut over sugar.
There are many variations to the recipe and you may find numerous ways to prepare a simple Poha. But north Indian flavors are usually an amalgamation of various flavors. Also since we like to make our dishes colorful so you may find the northern impression in this particular way of cooking poha.
Firstly, soak the Poha in water and rub with your hands and rinse thoroughly. Drain the water and keep aside.The tempering adds lots of color to the dish.This recipe is also healthy as i like to add all possible vegetables to the dish to make it a complete.
The trick to make your poha non-sticky : Wash the poha nicely but do not over soak it in water. Over absorption of water at this stage will make your poha flakes very sticky and it’ll not come out nice and separated. Just add water in the bowl. Rub the poha with your fingers gently in water and drain the water and keep the poha over the sieve for completely draining the water. This will ensure that your poha is non-sticky when you put them into the prepared tempering with veggies. A few people add a bit of salt to poha at this stage and mix. I do not do that ,but if you wish you may add a bit of salt.But then alter the amount of salt later to the tempering to adjust.
Poha is a very versatile ingredient. I make many other recipes with poha and also use Poha as a helping ingredient in many more. Some of the recipes with poha: Perfect breakfast Ideas
- 1 onion chopped or sliced
- 1/2 cup Green peas rinsed
- 1/4 cup carrot chopped
- 2 green chillies or to taste
- 3 tbsp roasted peanuts
- 1 tbsp curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp big mustard seeds sarson
- 1/4 tsp red mustard seeds Rai
- 3 tbsp green capsicum chopped
- 2 tbsp desiccated coconut optional
- 2 tbsp cilantro / green coriander For Garnish
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp Oil to cook
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder /degi mirch or to taste
- 1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric powder
- Wash/Rinse the Poha with water and rub it with your fingers.Drain the water and keep the poha in the aside for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile,heat oil in a wok.
- Add the mustard seeds, red mustard seeds(rai) .Let them splutter.
- Now add the onions and cook them until golden brown.
- Now, add the carrots, capsicum and green peas.
- Sprinkle a little water over it and simmer the flame. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or till the veggies are a bit tender.
- Open, mix well and add the salt, chili powder, turmeric and mix well.Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the poha and mix well along with the curry leaves. Break the curry leaves with your fingers to release their aroma .
- Mix well and then cover this for 2 minutes on simmer.
- Shut down the flame. Add coriander leaves, lemon juice ,peanuts and coconut powder and mix well.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and coconut powder and serve hot.
I’ve never heard of Poha! Boy, does it look delicious! I love how vibrant it is and I can just imagine how delicious it tastes just by looking at the photos!! I look forward to trying this!
do try.Am glad you liked.
The sweet of the coconut to balance out the spices sounds delicious. A great side for breakfast instead of hash browns.
thanks sharon. Glad you liked.
Thanks Sharon.True that. My favorite too.
I love ethnic rice dishes like this. I have never seen the technique with the mustard seed and it sounds very interesting. I make my own garam masala in a hot pan and then grind it so it is similar. I can’t wait to try this.
Wow how many beautiful flavors in one bowl. Looks at that gorgeous colours too. I absolutely love this. I’ve never heard of Poha but now I just must try this!
Thanks Natalie.
I love how beautiful this recipe is. I’ve never eaten poha, but I definitely think I will be making it in the very near future. Can I buy the rice already flattened or do I need to flatten it myself? I’m not very familiar with Indian cooking, but I love the food that I’ve tasted.
You Must try patti. Its really light and healthy.
I have never tried Poha before but it looks very good. I especially love the bright green peas in this. How much Poha does this usually season?
Thanks Jenni. Usually, 1:4 proportion.
Love the tips for making the rice not too sticky! This is such a gorgeously colorful dish! I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten it at restaurants before but haven’t ever made it. Looks great!
Thanks Ashley.
This looks so inviting and colourful. I think I had this once at a restaurant and loved it. As I had forgotten the name I couldn’t Google a recipe but I guess that problem is now solved. Thanks for sharing this.
One of my all time favorite. Delicicious,falvorful and healthy recipe.
This rice dish looks beautiful, colorful and with amazing flavors. Never had it, love the addition of coconut to take away some of the heat.
What a lovely and vibrant recipe! Love the combination of flavours and spices, and looking forward to trying it!
My husband absolutely loves curry so I’m definitely going to have to make this for him soon!
thanks claire.
yar poha kitna lena hai wo to dalo ! :p
I cup poha. Please omit the error, as the site got an issue. will update the ingredients soon again.