Flattened Rice Pulao (Poha)

Indian Cuisine

Flattened Rice Pulao (Poha)

Flattened rice, commonly known as Chura, is rice which is flattened into flat, light, dry flakes originating from the Indian subcontinent. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. This easily digestible form of raw rice is very popular across India 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.

 Poha is one of the dish made up from flattened rice.  It is a dish of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. But it is consumed in all the parts of India. In Indore it is famous as Indori Pohay, in Maharashtra kanda poha in Bihar chewraa pulao. It is a light breakfast in Indian sub-continent. Its a mixture of onions, green chilies, tomato's, coriander leaves, peanuts etc.
It contains very light species tumeric powder and a pin of red chili powder. It is served with lemon juices sprinkled over it.
Preparation Time:5 minutes
Cooking Time:15 minutes
Total Time:20 minutes
Serve:2

Ingridents:

• 2 cups thick Poha (Rice Flakes).
• 1 cup Onion (Pyaza) finely chopped.
• ½ cup peeled finely chopped Potato (Aaloo)
• ½ teaspoon Mustard Seeds (Raai)
• ½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds(Jeera)
• 8-10 Curry Leaves (Curry Pata)
• 1 Green Chili (Hari Mirch), finely chopped
• 1 pinch of Asafoetida (Hing), optional
• 1½ tablespoon Peanuts (Ground nuts/Moongfali)
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder(Haldi Powder)
• ¼ teaspoon Red Chili Powder(Lal Mirch Powder)
• 1½ teaspoons Lemon Juice
• ½ tablespoon Sugar(Chini)
• 1 tablespoon grated Coconut, optional
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons Mustard Oil(Sarso Tel)
• ¼ cup Pomegranate Seeds (Anaar), optional
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped Coriander(Dhaniya Pati)

Procedure:

1. First of all take a large strainer.
2. Now wash Poha (Rice flakes) gently swifting them with your fingers under running water. Drain the excess water through a strainer (1-2 times) and it keep aside.
3. Now take a pan and heat 2 tablespoons Mustard Oil(Sarso Tel).
4. Then add ½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds(Jeera) and ½ teaspoon Mustard Seeds (Raai).
5. Now add 1 Green Chili (Hari Mirch) finely chopped, 8-10 Curry Leaves (Curry Pata) and 1 pinch of Asafoetida (Hing), optional.
6. Mix it well.
7. After that add 1 cup Onion (Pyaza) finely chopped and sauté until onions turn translucent.
8. Now add ½ cup peeled finely chopped Potato (Aaloo) and sauté it well. Then add salt as per taste and sauté it well.
9. Allow it to get cooked for 4-5 minutes.Stir in between occasionally to prevent sticking.
10. Then add soaked poha in the mixture and mix it well.
11. Now add ½ tablespoon Sugar(Chini), 1½ teaspoons Lemon Juice, 1 tablespoon grated Coconut optional and ¼ cup Pomegranate Seeds (Anaar), optional
12. Add 2 tablespoons finely chopped Coriander(Dhaniya Pati) and mix it well.
13. Your poha is ready. Serve it with Tea and enjoy your breakfast.

Note:Do not soak poha in water. Just gently wash them thoroughly under running water and place them in a strainer to drip away excess water. If you don’t have a strainer, just sprinkle small amount of water over rice flakes and let them soak. Don’t use excess water. After soaking, poha should be moist but not wet.