Poha is a dish made with flattened rice, usually eaten for breakfast or brunch. Poha is popularly eaten in North East India, Nepal and Bangladesh. It is a standard breakfast in Madhya Pradesh in India. It is an easy to cook and nutritious snack. It can be called a fast food snack from the Indian cuisine.
The main ingredient of poha recipe, the flattened rice, which is also called poha, is de-husked rice that is flattened into dry flakes. The flakes may be translucently thin, or thicker in different varieties. It tends to soften when drizzled with water. How to make poha Poha recipe is quick and easy to prepare.Here is how to make poha.
Ingredients Used in poha recipe
Cooking oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, chopped green chillies, finely chopped onion, diced potatoes, peanuts, turmeric powder, lime juice, salt and chopped coriander.
How to Make Poha: Method of Preparation
• The flattened rice or poha is taken in a pan and drizzled with water, mixing simultaneously, until the entire poha is moistened. Salt to taste is sprinkled on it. This is set aside for some time, to allow the poha to absorb the water and soften.
• The peanuts in poha recipe are fried in oil in a frying pan, and when spluttering stops, they are removed and kept aside.
• Two tablespoonfuls of oil are heated in a pan, and mustard seeds along with curry leaves and green chilly are added. When spluttering does down, the chopped onion is added, and allowed to fry till it is soft and translucent. Turmeric powder and salt to taste is added to this. Next, the potatoes are added, and covered with lid to cook for a couple of minutes. After this the softened poha is added, along with the deep fried peanuts. The ingredients are mixed well and cooked with lid on low flame for a minute or two, turning the contents of the pan once so that it is well cooked throughout.
• The heat is now turned off, lime juice is mixed in the poha recipe, and the dish is garnished with chopped coriander leaves.
Serving Poha
Poha can be served as such or with mint and coriander chutney. It is usually served for breakfast or brunch. In Madhya Pradesh, it is served with a sweet dish called jalebi for breakfast. Poha is best eaten immediately after cooking. This is because reheated poha eaten later does not taste so good, as it loses its softness.
How to Make Poha Variants
There are several local variants of the poha recipe. While one variant uses peas along with potatoes while cooking, another variant uses fried threads of salted gram flour (called ‘bhujia’), which are sprinkled over the poha before serving.
Health Benefits of Poha
Poha is light on the stomach and easy to digest. It is a source of instant energy on account of the rice content. Rice also provides vitamin B1 and stabilizes blood sugar. Peanuts contained in Poha are good source of protein and antioxidants, and also considered good for the heart.
