Green Poha (Hariyali Poha, Kothamali Poha) is a delicious Indian breakfast recipe made using poha (flattened rice), herbs, and spices. Serve it with a cup of masala chai (vegetarian, gluten-free).
Poha can be made in a variety of ways. Here are some more of my favorite ways to make it – Poha Bhel, Indori Poha, Poha, Red Rice Kanda Poha, and Chura Matar.
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About Green Poha (Hariyali Poha, Kothamali Poha)
Green Poha (Hariyali Poha), also known as Kothamali Poha in South India is nothing but your regular poha flavored with a coriander mint paste.
It is an instant, easy-to-make breakfast that comes together in under 30 minutes.
The herb paste gives it a refreshing taste and a beautiful green hue which makes it quite different from the regular poha recipe.
Serve coriander mint poha for breakfast on its own or with a generous topping of sev along with a cup of masala chai or filter coffee on the side. It can also be packed in a lunch or snack box.
Ingredients
Poha – Poha or flattened rice makes the base of this recipe.
Poha comes in a variety of thicknesses. I personally like to use thick poha for this recipe as it doesn’t get mushy after soaking.
You can also use red poha or millet poha instead of white poha.
For The Paste – To make the green paste, you will need cilantro (fresh coriander leaves), mint leaves, curry leaves, fresh ginger, green chillies, fresh coconut, and water.
Adjust the green chilies as per your taste.
You can buy already grated fresh coconut from the freezer section of any Indian grocery store. It will save you some time.
Cashew Nuts and Peanuts give a nice crunch to the soft poha!
Ghee/Oil – I like to use a combination of ghee and oil to make this recipe, but you can use only oil or only ghee.
Others – You will also need cumin seeds, mustard seeds, onions, curry leaves, salt, sugar, freshly squeezed lime juice, and pomegranate kernels.
Pomegranate seeds are optional, but they add a nice bite along with subtle sweetness.
You can also sneak in a few veggies such as green peas, carrots, green beans, or bell peppers for added nutrition.
How To Make Green Poha
Prepare The Poha
Add 2 cups of thick poha to a mesh strainer and rinse well with water. Keep mixing the poha while rinsing so that all of them get wet well.
Keep the rinsed poha aside. The poha will keep absorbing the moisture and become soft by the time the rest of the recipe is ready.
Make The Green Paste
Add
- 1 cup cilantro (tightly packed)
- ¼ cup mint leaves (tightly packed)
- 10-12 curry leaves
- 2 teaspoon chopped ginger
- 1 green chili (stalk removed)
- ½ cup grated fresh coconut (tightly packed)
- 3 tablespoon water
to a blender and blend to make a coarse paste. Do not add any extra water while blending. Scrape the sides of the blender and push the ingredients towards the blade a few times while blending.
Make The Hariyali Poha
Heat 1 tablespoon ghee and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat.
Once the ghee is hot, add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
Add 10-12 cashew nuts (halved) and 2 tablespoon peanuts and fry until browned (2-3 minutes). Stir frequently while frying to ensure even browning.
Add 1 cup chopped onions and 15-20 curry leaves and fry until the onions turn pink (3-4 minutes). Stir frequently.
Now add the green paste and cook until it is dried (2-3 minutes).
Add the soaked poha, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice and mix well.
Reduce the heat to low.
Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5-6 minutes. Stir 2-3 times in between cooking.
Garnish the ready poha with 1 tablespoon pomegranate seeds and serve hot.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Hariyali Poha on its own for breakfast or evening snacks with a hot cup of masala chai or filter coffee. For that extra crunch, top it with some bhujia or sev of your choice.
Storage Suggestions
Green Poha tastes the best when served fresh, as the flattened rice tends to get dry if stored for longer.
In case you have leftovers, store them in a clean and dry air-tight container for 2-3 days. Reheat in a pan or microwave, until nice and warm.
If you feel it has become a little dry, sprinkle a little water on top while reheating to add moisture to the poha recipe.
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Recipe Card
Green Poha Recipe (Hariyali Poha)
Ingredients
For The Paste
- 1 cup cilantro (fresh coriander leaves) (tightly packed)
- ¼ cup mint leaves (tightly packed)
- 10-12 curry leaves
- 2 teaspoons chopped ginger
- 1 green chili (stalk removed)
- ½ cup grated fresh coconut (tightly packed)
- 3 tablespoons water
For The Poha
- 2 cups thick poha (flattened rice)
- 1 tablespoon ghee (replace with oil for vegan)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 10-12 cashew nuts (halved)
- 2 tablespoons peanuts
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 15-20 curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate seeds
Instructions
Prepare The Poha
- Add poha to a mesh strainer and rinse well with water. Keep mixing the poha while rinsing so that all of them get wet well.
- Keep the rinsed poha aside. The poha will keep absorbing the moisture and become soft by the time the rest of the recipe is ready.
Make The Green paste
- Add all the ingredients to make the paste in a blender and blend to make a coarse paste. Do not add any extra water while blending.
- Scrape the sides of the blender and push the ingredients towards the blade a few times while blending.
Make The Green Poha
- Heat ghee and oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Once the ghee is hot, add cumin seeds and mustard seeds and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
- Add cashew nuts and peanuts and fry until browned (2-3 minutes). Stir frequently while frying to ensure even browning.
- Add onions and curry leaves and fry until the onions turn pink (3-4 minutes). Stir frequently.
- Now add the green paste and cook until it is dried (2-3 minutes).
- Add the soaked poha, salt, sugar and lime juice and mix well.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5-6 minutes. Stir 2-3 times in between cooking.
- Garnish the ready poha with pomegranate seeds and serve hot.
Sheetal Chavan
Good , easy and tasty different recipe to make Poha.
Thanks for variation in Poha breakfast.