Poha (Flattened Rice)
Poha (Flattens Rice)
This dish is a favorite for breakfast or as a light snack in different parts of India. Being raised in Bihar, my mother was very fond of Chudwey. She would often prepare this dish as a special snack for guests to be served with tea. I have grown up loving this recipe and thought I would share it with all of you. This is a quick and easy recipe to make and very delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 cups thick poha, poha is available in different thickness
- 1 cup green peas, I am using frozen
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds rai
- 3 cardamoms ilachai
- 1/2 tsp turmeric haldi
- 1/4 tsp red chili powder
- 1 green Chile finely chopped
- 1 tsp ginger finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp cilantro finely chopped hara dhania1
- 2 lemon slice for garnishing
- 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes for garnishing
Instructions
- Gently wash poha in a colander and let it sit/drain for approx. 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle turmeric, chili powder and salt and toss with a fork.
- Wash and drain green peas and set aside.
- Heat oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. When oil is moderately hot add mustard seeds and wait till seeds crack. Add cardamom, ginger and green chili and stir for a few seconds. Then add green peas and cook until they are tender.
- Add poha and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, mixing gently. (If the poha looks too dry, add a few tablespoons of water and continue cooking).
- Remove from heat and add lemon juice, sugar and cilantro. Mix and cover for few minutes.
Notes
Serve hot with a side of Hari Cilantro Chutney.
Tips: Poha comes in different thickness sizes, but you must use the “thick” poha for this recipe, or else it will become too mushy.
Varying brands of Poha may absorb water differently. Therefore use your judgment while cooking, to add a few tablespoons of water, if it feels too dry.
I am using frozen baby green peas, but you can use fresh or frozen of any style green peas. Just make sure that they are fully cooked before you add the poha.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
40 Responses
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Hello
As a Russian married to an Indian guy, your website is an amazing store for great Indian Recipes. the way you present makes it easy to understand the portions. Best compliment, you have got my husband to start trying to make indian food which he never did before
THANKS
Oiga, Thanks I appreciate
Manjula ji,
Your recepie of poha is excellent. I have tried it many times.
Thank you,
Rakhi Poonia
Rakhi, Thank you
Hi Can I substitute normal rice for this?
Dear Mam,
Thank you for your reciepe for powha. Its neatly presented. Keep sharing !!!!
My mother used to make the sweet version. Washed Poha mixed with freshly scraped coconut and jaggary. It is so tasty. My husband’s favourite one. The very firs time I am going to make the spicy one.
Thank you for sharing the recipe.
God bless you.
Dear Mandjula,
I keep visiting your website and trying your wonderful recipes. I went to India several times and wanted to find back this tasty breakfast, and you have it ! Congratulations for your tasty recipes ! Your saag paneer is the best I have ever eaten ! And not only that… Best regards, Catherine (from Belgium)
Poha does not require cardamom ginger or Garam Masala. The authentic poha dish just has mustard seeds chillies cumin seeds salt cumin and corriander powers hing the rest u can add like peanuts veggies matar or even onions and potatoes to your choice.
jan
SOME PEOPLE DON”T LIKE ONIONS, POTATOES SOME DO. I THINK IT IS VERY TASTY RECIPE.
I DON’T LIKE ONIONS OR GARLIC THAT DOES NOT MEAN OTHER SHOULD NOT EAT.
YOU CAN MODIFY ACCORDING TO TASTE.
MANJULA KEEP UP YOU ARE DOING WONDER FULL JOB
RECIPE IS SIMPLE AND TASTY.
ROMESH
Romesh, Thank you
You are right jan poha do not need garam masala ginger is optional. First time hearing garam masala to be used in poha
i prepare poha many times in a week as my family like it very much.thanks mam for sharing this .
Loved this version of poha. We generally have the veggie version of it on Saturdays. What we do is toss the soaked poha in salt and sugar and allow it to sit for a while. We then fry cumin and ginger a bit and then bits of potatoes, beans, carrot, green peas and cauliflower before mixing the poha in. Some love the mustard seed and curry leaves version as well.
Dear Imarijula’s Kitchen. I really enjoyed the indain Recipie with
Poha Rice. it was very good and healthy. i would recommend it to everyone that enjoysIndian Food.
CAN V USE OUTSIDE PACKED GARAM MASALA…..
Dimple, use any garam masala
Namastey Manjula Ji,
I am working so this recipe has helped me a lot but I added onions,potatoes and ginger garlic paste .The taste was enhanced.
Hello Manjula Aunty… ur receipies are just excellent… i have never cooked for 30 yrs of my life…. After moving out of India i had no option but to cook for my family.. its really a art i am learning from you… every dish i prepare turns out good and im motivated to learn more and prepare better… thank you so much…..
Absolutely delicious, and so quick. I prepared this dish and made it within 10 minutes. Love fast dishes. My 3 year old and 1 year old loved it. I left out the green chilies, and it was still delicious, as I have to cook for little children. All other masalas stayed the same, but didn’t have peas on hand, so used frozen green beans. It was wonderful. I also added chopped onions to tarka, because we like it this way.
Dear Aunty,
My husband who doesnt like poha at all loved this recipe… both of us are a great fan of you.
Thanks a lot for the wonderful recipes.. that too without onion and garlic!! I just love them….
Cheers,
Deepa
Hello Manjula Aunty,
I admire your talent and extremely grateful to you for easing the task of preparing time consuming dishes by providing fine steps . Can you please advise me how to prepare garam masala at home , actually i hail from a village in Kerala and we don’t use garam masala much in our dishes .
Thanking a ton.
Kindest Regards,
Manjusha
This looks like an interesting version of the traditional Indian Poha. What garam masala do you use? Home made or store bought? Any particular recommendations?
Anushruti,
I use home made garam masala.
hi,
I had this dish in one of his friend’s house before 5 years back and we really like it. I am searching for this receipe for a long time . So i just tried ur poha its came out really super and he enjoyed a lot. Thanks for the wonderful dish.
Hello Aunty
This poha was delicious .. I made it couple of days back for breakfast … never thought a little ginger, cardamom and garam masala would make so much of a difference .. Also I added little peanuts and potato. Thankyou for an awesome recipe ..
Manjula,
I havent stopped watching you and keep refering back to other older recipes. You are full of information and great recipes. They work and they work great. Bahtura and chole each Sunday for the past winter. The family LOVEs it. My grateful …thank you. Faye in Toronto. (Gori, married to a Sikh)
Thank for sharing a tasty dish…
Tomatoes, Garam-masala, cardamom!! This seems more like some Masaledaar Pulao recipe rather than the simple and tasty pohe or poha! potatoes, coriander leaves and peanuts are a must for making pohe and some even add freshly grated coconut at the end. Sorry, aunty but this is not the basic well-known poha -upma. No harm in trying a different recipe though!
Priya – just because Auntie makes it differently does not mean you need to makea comment that – there are a million ways to make poha and this happens to be Aunties. Just like baivahi said about not needing to add masalas etc.. – who is she – Betty Crocker?? I hate it when you all have to question Auntie’s choice of ingredients on HER OWN WEBSITE!!
This recipe probably tastes good but this is NOT the traditional Maharashtrian “pohe” as some people have already said….no need to get offended by that….it’s the truth.
Having said that I love all the recipes from Manjula-ji and have tried many of them
This is how poha or “chewda matar’ as we call it, is made in our part of India. It may not sound like (and obviously not taste like) your traditional pohe, but it certainly doesn’t mean it is not poha. Manjula Auntie is doing us all a great favor by posting these videos and if you can’t be grateful at least don’t criticise. It only shows your lack of knowledge about your own great and diverse country!
Thank you Manjula ji for sharing a nice and tasty dish :))
Thanks for the recipe. I think we can make so many variety of dishes with poha. One of the think which my mum use to make when I was a kid was sweet poha. No very difficult one and quick to make.
Wash the flat rice (poha) and drain the water out. Then add finely grated coconut into it and then add sugar to taste along with cardamom powder. Then mix them all well and there you go a evening snack is ready. its really yummy.
Krish,
Thank you, for sharing, I will have to try this for quick sweet snack.
Poha does not need garam masala, ginger or cardomom.. its just plain and simple without any masalas… its just simple with the other remaining ingredients..
I am sure you know that you can eat it raw, and it is still called poha 🙂
Poha looks colourful and tasty, easy tiffin for saturday evenings.
Dear aunty,
My mouth is watering..it’s so tempting..poha and upma r staple in our family on weekends..
Sanyukta
http://creativesanyukta.blogspot.com/
Sanyukta,
Poha upma is really tasty and a good breakfast on a weekend when you really dont want to spend much time in kitchen. I really like with more green chillies added to it (spicy 🙂 )
Thanks,
Krish