Aloo Poha is a popular breakfast recipe in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. It is made using beaten rice and is fairly easy to make. Here is how to make it.
Here are some more North Indian breakfast recipe ideas – Besan Chilla, Moong Dal Chilla, Red Rice Kanda Poha and Sabudana Khichdi.
About the Recipe
Poha is also called flattened rice or beaten rice. It is a simple and quick breakfast recipe that is made in almost all the North Indian households and it has become quite popular in entire India too.
Also known as chura, aval, avalakki or chivda in different parts of India, this gluten-free ingredient is a great dish to serve for breakfast, snack, tea time, or quick dinner.
It is great to pack for school or work lunch box as well.
In this recipe, Pohe is soaked and then sautéed with onion, tomatoes, curry leaves, peanuts, green chillies, and everyday spices.
Here, I have also added fried cubes of potatoes and green peas which gives a bite to this dish and is popularly called Aloo Poha or Batata Poha.
To make it healthier, you can skip frying the potatoes and make just Kanda Poha, that is Poha with onions which is another popular variation in Maharashtra.
Along with the salt, I also add a little sugar to add a hint of sweetness to it.
Also, don’t forget to add lemon juice, it gives it a delicious tangy twist along with all the spices.
This Recipe Is
- Easy to make and takes less time in the kitchen.
- Apt for your weekday meals.
- Wholesome and filling.
- It can be packed for your snack box.
- You can load it with vegetables for extra nutrition.
- Naturally gluten-free
Ingredients
Along with the main ingredient that is Poha or flattened rice, you will need potatoes, green peas, onions, tomato, peanuts, green chillies, curry leaves, mustard seeds, turmeric powder, salt, lemon juice, and sugar.
Poha – This makes the base of the dish. There are many varieties of pohe available in the market. According to the thickness of the flakes, there is thin and thick variety.
Try to use the thick one to make pohe.
There are pohe made from red rice available in the market. You can use them too.
Onion – Kanda is Onion in Marathi language and Kanda Pohe is this dish made using lots of onion. Onion adds a nice crunch to the dish.
Do not chop the onions too finely to add them in pohe. Slightly larger chunks will be great.
Potato – Potato is called Batata in Marathi. I like to add them in pohe as they make it filling and who doesn’t like potatoes, right?
You can add raw or boiled potatoes. I like to add fry the raw chopped potatoes in my recipe. I fry them until nicely brown and crispy.
If you want to make the healthier, use boiled potatoes instead.
Peas – You can use frozen or fresh peas in this recipe.
If using frozen peas, wash them well with water and micro for a minute until they soften. Then add them in the pan.
If using fresh peas, boil them in water with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp until they are softened.
Tomatoes – Adding tomatoes is totally optional. I add them sometimes and skip them as well.
Veggies – To make pohe healthier you can add other veggies like carrot, capsicum, cauliflower, etc to it as well
While sugar adds a hint of sweetness to this dish, Lemon Juice gives it a tangy twist.
You can also avoid adding sugar and add some pomegranate on the top.
I like to serve it topped with finely chopped onions, fresh coconut, and fine sev.
Here, I have added only green peas and potatoes, but you can add more vegetables of your choice to make it.
Step By Step Recipe
Wash the poha and soak in enough water till it softens. ( Be careful at this step so that it doesn’t become soggy).
Drain the poha in a colander and let the excess water drain nicely. Keep aside.
Heat oil for frying potatoes in a pan. When the oil is hot, add potatoes and fry on high heat till golden brown and crunchy from outside. Transfer the oil in a container for later use.
Add 2 tbsp oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add peanuts and fry till slightly browned.
Add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let the mustard splatter for a few seconds.
Now add green chilies and onion and fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add tomatoes, green peas and fry for a minute.
Add salt, turmeric powder, lemon juice, sugar added in the pan.
Add fried Potatoes, Poha and mix well.
Cover and cook 2-3 minutes on low heat. Add fresh coriander and mix well. Serve hot.
Frequently asked Questions:
It is made by parboiling the rice and then flattening it. After the rice is flattened or beaten, it is dried until crisp.
Make sure to choose a thick to a medium variety of Poha to make this breakfast dish. You can also buy red rice poha.
Poha comes in a variety of thicknesses.
To make Aloo Poha, it is preferable to take medium thickness poha.
But this thickness will also vary from brand to brand.
After soaking it should be fluffy and not mushy or dry.
So when making it for the first time, monitor the time of soaking and then moving on, try to buy the same brand and stick with it.
My Poha usually takes 30-40 seconds of soaking.
You should soak it only until it is just about softened.
Then immediately drain it. It will still keep absorbing the extra water and soften more.
Do not soak for extra time, as it can become mushy and will not taste good.
Lastly, drain it in a colander and it still keeps getting softer from the remaining water.
If the moisture in Pohe is less, it becomes dry. It is very important to soak it in the right amount of water and for the right amount of time.
If after cooking, Pohe looks day, just sprinkle some water over them. Cover the pan and cook on low heat for 5-6 minutes. they will become fluffy again.
It is much lighter and healthier as compared to rice and eating it at night is perfectly fine.
It is recommended for breakfast, as it is high on carbs.
It has 76.9 percent of carbohydrates and about 23 percent of fats.
And therefore, it’s a great breakfast dish as it provides energy to the body to carry out its daily functions.
This North Indian breakfast dish is light on the stomach and also digests easily.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this easy peasy Breakfast recipe along with a hot cup of Adrak Wali Chai or Coffee.
Often people even add grated fresh coconut, pomegranate seeds, and various types of Sev as garnishing on it.
You can even add finely chopped onions, to serve it just like the roadside stalls serve it in the wee hours of the morning in some North Indian cities.
You could also customize it the way you want.
But I like a generous sprinkling of Bhujia Sev on my Poha. You should try it too.
You can try my homemade Aloo Bhujia recipe, if you are a fan of good homemade snacks.
Pro Tips by Neha
Be very careful about the soaking time of the poha. Don’t soak it for too long, otherwise, it will become mushy. You just have to rinse it till it becomes soft.
Use a lot of curry leaves for a nice flavor.
Add in lots of peanuts, it adds a nice crunch to the soft textured Poha.
If you have leftover, you can make cutlets using it too. Just add some boiled mashed potatoes to the Pohe, shape the mixture like cutlets and shallow fry until browned.
You can also shallow fry it and make Aloo Tikki.
If you want to make it healthier, avoid deep frying the potatoes. You can use boiled potatoes instead. Just saute them in little oil until browned.
You can garnish it with grated coconut too. That’s how they do it in Maharashtra.
Storage Suggestions
If you have leftovers, you can store it in the fridge for about 2 days in an airtight container, but the texture will not remain same as the freshly made Poha.
As if kept for long, they tend to become hard.
While heating, you can sprinkle a little water and heat, it helps to make the Poha soft.
You can use the leftover Poha and makes other recipes too such as Cutlets, Paratha, or even Pakoras.
Aloo Poha Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cup Poha
- 1/2 cup Potato (Peeled and cut into small pieces)
- 1/4 cup Peanuts
- 1/4 cup Peas (Boiled)
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil (Plus for frying)
- 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 10-12 Curry Leaves
- 2 Green Chilli (Slit into half)
- 1/2 cup Onion (Chopped)
- 1/4 cup Tomato (Chopped)
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 2 tbsp Coriander (Chopped)
Instructions
- Wash the poha and soak in enough water till it softens. ( Be careful at this step so that Poha doesn’t become soggy )
- Drain the poha in a colander and let the excess water drain nicely.
- Keep aside.
- Heat oil for frying potatoes in a pan.
- When the oil is hot, add potatoes and fry on high heat till golden brown and crunchy from outside. Transfer the oil in a container for later use.
- Add 2 tbsp oil in a pan.
- When the oil is hot, add peanuts and fry till slightly browned.
- Add mustard seeds and curry leaves and let them crackle or a few seconds.
- Add green chilies and onion and fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and peas and fry for a minute.
- Now add salt, turmeric powder, lemon juice, sugar, fried potatoes and poha and mix well.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes on low heat.
- Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot.
swati Bassi
Hi
I Love to eat poha. Its my all time favorite.
Thanks for sharing such yummy pics of poha.
msnehamathur
Thnx for liking Swati
Sarah
Delicious and easy to prepare! Would be curious to see more recipes that use poha.
msnehamathur
There are a few more on the blog. Just type Poha in the search bar.