Green Poha Recipe (Hariyali Poha)

5 from 2 votes

Updated: Mar 17, 2026

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Green Poha (Hariyali Poha, Kothamali Poha) is a delicious Indian breakfast recipe made using poha (flattened rice), herbs, and spices. Make it using my easy recipe.

Poha can be made in various ways. Here are some more of my favorite ways to make it: Poha Bhel, Indori Poha, and Banarasi Chura Matar.

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Ingredients
How To Make Green Poha
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Green Poha Recipe (Hariyali Poha)

I was going to make breakfast when a friend came by with a batch of her homegrown mint and cilantro. The herbs looked so fresh that I was immediately tempted to use them. My poha was already soaked, so I twisted it and made this green poha instead of the classic one. It turned out delicious, too.

Green Poha (Hariyali Poha), known as Kothamali Poha in South India, is 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 and a cup of Masala Chai or South Indian Filter Coffee on the side. It can also be packed in a lunch or snack box.

Ingredients

Poha – Poha or flattened rice forms the base of this recipe. Poha comes in various thicknesses. I like to use thick poha for this recipe because it doesn’t get mushy after soaking. You can also use red poha or millet poha instead of white poha.
For the paste, you will need cilantro (fresh coriander leaves), mint leaves, curry leaves, ginger, green chilies, fresh coconut, and water to make the green paste. Adjust the green chilies as per your taste. You can buy pre-grated fresh coconut from the freezer section of any Indian grocery store. It will save you some time.
Cashews and peanuts add a nice crunch to the soft poha!
Ghee/Oil – I like combining ghee and oil for this recipe, but you can use either ghee or oil.
Others – You will also need cumin seeds, brown mustard seeds, onions, curry leaves, salt, granulated white sugar, freshly squeezed lime juice, and pomegranate kernels. Pomegranate seeds are optional, but they add a nice bite and subtle sweetness.

For added nutrition, you can also sneak in a few veggies, such as green peas, carrots, green beans, or bell peppers.

How To Make Green Poha

Make The Green Paste

Step 1: Add the following ingredients to a blender.

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

All the masala paste ingredients added to a blender.

Step 2: Blend until a coarse paste forms. 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.

Soak The Poha

Step 3: Add 2 cups of thick poha to a mesh strainer.

Step 4: Rinse well with water. Keep mixing the poha while rinsing so that all of it is wet. 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 Hariyali Poha

Step 5: Heat 1 tablespoon ghee and 1 tablespoon oil in a pan over medium heat.

Step 6: Once the ghee is hot, add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.

Cumin seeds and mustard seeds added to the pan.

Step 7: Add 10-12 cashew nuts (halved) and 2 tablespoon peanuts and cook until browned (2-3 minutes). Stir frequently while cooking to ensure even browning.