Dec 9, 20232 min read

Poha from Indian State Madhya Pradesh

Poha, also known as pauwa, sira, chira, chivda, avil or avalakki, among many other names, is flattened rice originating from the Indian subcontinent. Rice is parboiled before flattening so that it can be consumed with very little to no cooking. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. The thickness of the flakes varies from almost translucently thin (the more expensive varieties) to nearly four times thinner than a normal rice grain.

This easily digestible form of raw rice is very popular across India, Nepal and Bangladesh, and is normally used to prepare snacks or light and easy fast food in a variety of Indian cuisine styles, some even for long-term consumption of a week or more.

Flattened rice can be eaten raw by immersing it in plain water or milk, with salt and sugar to taste, or lightly fried in oil with nuts, raisins, cardamoms, and other spices. In Northern India Poha and Samosa is famous as breakfast. The lightly fried variety is a standard breakfast in the Malwa region (surrounding Ujjain and Indore) of Madhya Pradesh. It can be reconstituted with hot water to make a porridge or paste, depending on the proportion of water added. In villages, particularly in Chhattisgarh, flattened rice is also eaten raw by mixing with jaggery. Indori poha from Indore is quite famous in the country and is eaten with a crispy snack called sev. It is also eaten mixed with peanuts, coconut and various spices. In Maharashtra, flattened rice is cooked with lightly fried mustard seeds, turmeric, green chilli, finely chopped onions, and fried peanuts; moistened flattened rice is added to the spicy mix and steamed for a few minutes.

LETS GET COOKING:

Poha

Course : Breakfast

Cuisine : Indian

Prep time : 10 minutes

Process time : 20 minutes

Total time : 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Thick poha - 1 cup
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Curry leaves -1 string
Groundnut - 3 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Musatrd seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Chaat masala - 1 tsp
Dry mango powder - 1 tsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Salt - as per tatse
oil - 1 tsp

Instructions:

Wash and saok poha for 2 minutes, leave little water in it
Add salt and turmeric powder, mix
Place the mixed poha in steamer plate and steam for 10 minutes
After steaming transfer into servering bowl and keep aside
For tadka, add oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, curry leaves and groundnuts and allow them to fry
Add this tadka into steamed poha
Now add chopped onion, tomato to it
Add all spice powders, lemon juice to it and give a good mix
Serve it