Indian & South Asian · Breakfast · Snack
Poha
पोहा (Kanda Poha)
Soft, fluffy flattened rice tossed with mustard seeds, curry leaves, onion and sweet green peas, tinted golden with turmeric and finished with crunchy roasted peanuts and a squeeze of lemon. A light, comforting Indian breakfast that comes together fast.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 65% · Fat 24% · Protein 11%
Track it in BerryFit and see how it fits your own daily target. Get the app ›
Ingredients
For 4 servings- 2 cups200 gthick flattened rice (poha)
- 2 tbsp30 gwater, for sprinkling
- 1/2 tspturmeric, ground
- 1 tsp6 gsalt
- 1 tspsugar (optional)
- 1/4 cup36 graw peanuts
- 1 tbsp14 gvegetable oil
- 1 tspmustard seeds
- 1/2 tspcumin seeds
- 12 leavesfresh curry leaves
- 2 small8 ggreen chillies, finely chopped
- 1 large150 gonion, finely chopped
- 1 cup140 ggreen peas, frozen
- 2 tbsp30 glemon juice
- 1/4 cup8 gfresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
Steps
- 1
Put the poha in a colander and rinse under running tap water for about 20 seconds, gently tossing until just softened; do not soak.
- 2
Drain well, then sprinkle over the 2 tbsp water, turmeric, salt and sugar (if using), toss lightly and set aside for 5 minutes to soften.
- 3
Dry-roast the peanuts in a large non-stick pan over medium heat for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until golden and fragrant; tip onto a plate.
- 4
Heat the oil in the same pan over medium heat and add the mustard seeds; let them pop for a few seconds.
- 5
Add the cumin seeds, curry leaves and green chillies and stir for 30 seconds.
- 6
Add the onion and cook for 3–4 minutes until soft and translucent.
- 7
Stir in the peas, cover and cook for 3 minutes until tender.
- 8
Fluff the poha with a fork to break up any clumps, add it to the pan and fold gently to combine.
- 9
Cover and cook on low heat for 2–3 minutes until heated through and soft.
- 10
Turn off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and most of the roasted peanuts and coriander.
- 11
Serve hot, topped with the remaining peanuts and coriander.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Swap the peanuts for roasted cashews, or leave them out and add roasted chickpeas or pumpkin seeds for a nut-free version.
- Use thin poha instead of thick if that's all you can find, but just sprinkle it with water rather than rinsing so it doesn't turn mushy.
- Replace half the peas with diced carrot, capsicum or tomato for a lighter, more vegetable-heavy bowl.
- Leave out the sugar if you prefer a purely savoury flavour, and use lime juice if you have no lemon.
Storage
Poha is best eaten fresh, as it dries out and firms up on standing. Refrigerate any leftovers in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 1 to 2 days, reheating with a splash of water until steaming hot; it does not freeze well.
Make ahead
Dry-roast the peanuts and chop the onion, chillies and coriander up to a day ahead, storing the peanuts airtight at room temperature and the chopped vegetables covered in the fridge. Rinse and cook the poha just before serving.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
Track this in BerryFit
Log Poha in one tap and see how it fits your remaining calories for today.
Or ask Coach Berry to change it
Allergens and nutrition
Contains: PeanutsMustard
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (157 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 318 kcal | 203 kcal |
| Protein | 8.1 g | 5.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 52.3 g | 33.3 g |
| of which sugars | 4.3 g | 2.7 g |
| Fiber | 3.6 g | 2.3 g |
| Fat | 8.7 g | 5.5 g |
| of which saturated | 1.2 g | 0.8 g |
| Sodium | 628 mg | 400 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
