Poha Recipe | Kanda Poha - Dassana's Veg Recipes

kanda poha or pohe in a white bowl with a lemon wedge and spoon.

4.90 from 46 votes

Poha Recipe | Kanda Poha

Poha recipe with its few versions like Kanda Poha, Dadpe Pohe and Indori Poha – is a staple preparation with flattened rice, herbs and spices. The one is made with both onions and with an extra addition of potatoes. It is also and easy tasty poha that you can make for your everyday breakfast.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Indian, Maharashtrian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 564kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

For prepping poha

1.5 cups poha - thick variety (flattened rice or parched rice)
1 teaspoon sugar or as required
salt as required
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)

Other ingredients

2 tablespoons peanuts
2 to 2.5 tablespoons oil - peanut, sunflower or any neutral oil
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 potato - medium-sized, chopped into small cubes
⅓ cup onions - finely chopped or 1 medium-sized
1 teaspoon green chilies - finely chopped or 1 to 2 green chillies
8 to 9 curry leaves (medium to large sized)
2 to 3 tablespoons coconut - fresh and grated, optional
2 to 3 tablespoons coriander leaves - chopped (cilantro)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preparation

Pick the poha first of any debris or small stones. Rinse the poha flakes in clean running water in a strainer or colander twice or thrice.
Make sure that you do not rinse the poha flakes too much or else they break and get mushy. While rinsing, the poha flakes absorb enough water and they become soft.
The poha must become soft but remain intact, whole and separate. If they do not become soft, add a splash of water on them in the strainer and mix till they get softened.
After rinsing, the poha flakes should loose their crunchiness and when you break them between your fingers, they should easily get crushed or mashed.
When the poha have softened nicely, sprinkle the turmeric powder, sugar and salt evenly on the poha. Gently mix with a spoon or with clean fingers.
Roast the peanuts in a small frying pan till they become crunchy with a few blisters on the peanut skins. Set aside.
Also peel the potatoes and chop them into small cubes.

Making kanda poha

In a heavy kadai, heat oil. Sauté the potatoes in medium hot oil till light golden and crisp. Stir them often for even frying.
Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and set aside.
In the same kadai, there will be some oil left. Add mustard seeds to the hot oil.
If there is no oil, then add 1 tablespoon oil and heat it gently and then add the mustard seeds.
When the mustard seeds splutter, add the cumin seeds.
When the cumin seeds crackle, add the onions. Sauté the onions till they become translucent and soften.
Now add the curry leaves, chopped green chillies and roasted peanuts. Sauté for a minute on low heat.
Add the fried potatoes and then the rinsed poha. Mix gently with the rest of the sautéed ingredients.
Cover the pan tightly with a lid for the poha to get steamed for about 2 minutes on low heat.
Remove the lid and check the taste and if required add more salt and sugar.
Turn off the heat and cover the pan tightly with a lid for the poha to get steamed for a few minutes.
Remove the lid and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and grated fresh coconut.
Serve Kanda Poha hot with chopped lemon pieces. The lemon juice has to be squeezed on the poha before eating it.
Alternatively, you could also follow this method. Once the poha is cooked, sprinkle about 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice on it.
Mix and then garnish it with coconut and coriander leaves.

Video

Notes

Texture: After rinsing the poha flakes, press a few flakes and if they get crushed or mashed easily then they are soft enough to be cooked. If they are dry or crunchy, add a splash of water on them and gently mix.
Rinsing: I always rinse these poha flakes in a strainer or colander under running water and don’t soak them in water. Rinsing softens them easily. But if you get a hard variety of poha which do not soften on rinsing, soak them in water for a few minutes until they soften.
Veggies: To make poha recipe more nutritious, opt to add boiled peas, finely chopped capsicum or grated carrots or your preferred veggies. Chose to steam/boil/sauté/pan fry the vegetable as needed before you add to the poha.
Garnish: I like to add grated fresh coconut but it is optional. Do add coriander leaves and do not skip them. If you like crunchy and crispy texture, top some sev or mixture or farsan on your poha.
Type of poha: Both white and red poha can be added in the recipe. Also be sure to use thick or medium-thick variety of poha. Take care not to use thin poha flakes as they will become a mush after rinsing and cooking.
Flavor & Taste Additions: Adding sugar is optional. You can skip it completely if you don't prefer a slightly sweet taste in the kanda poha. You could also opt to not add lemon juice to your poha. For a spicy poha, add more green chillies. If you like ginger, feel free to add finely chopped or minced ginger.
Scaling: Easily scale the recipe to reduce or increase the servings according to your needs.

Nutrition