Light, nutritious and easy to prepare, the humble 'poha' is an Indian favourite breakfast for all the right reasons. A bowl of poha is not just tasty but rich in carbohydrates that makes for an energetic kickstart to your day.
The traditional Kanda Poha is prepared with curry leaves, mustard seeds sprinkled with crunchy namkeen. Over the years, Poha has found a new flavour in every state of India. What we ignore though is the ability of this ingredient to take different forms. With a few changes here and there, you can make something crispy, spicy or sweet with Poha. Want to know how? Keep reading.
Today we bring you ideas to prepare Poha in different styles and flavours-
Poha cutlets
Poha is generally considered to be a morning meal but let's change it to an evening snack. This can be a crispy saviour to your daily evening food. Here what is you need to start with:
- Wash and drain 2 cups of beaten rice/ poha.
- Make a paste of beaten rice with 1 tbsp chopped green chillies. Don't add any water as poha already gets soft when soaked. Transfer this paste to a bowl
- Add 2 tsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander, ¼ cup chopped spinach, salt and 2 tsp sugar in the same paste.
- Make round cutlets using this mixture and set them on a plate.
- Grease a non-stick Tawa and fry the cutlets until they turn golden on both sides.
- Serve with chutney or ketchup.
Poha Phirni
Poha phirni is easy to prepare desert. It is easy to prepare and has wonderful taste. It is a healthy choice over any other sugary drink and fills you with lots of energy. Here is how you can prepare sweet Poha Phirni:
- Roast ¾ cup of dry poha for 1 or 2 minutes and keep it aside when turning crisp.
- Now grind in a coarse powder after it cools down.
- Boil about 3 cups milk and 3 cups sugar in another deep vessel and add the ground poha and keep stirring continuously.
- Next, dissolve 1 tbsp cornflour in 2 tsp milk and pour it into the milk.
- Keep stirring and cook for 3-4 minutes on medium flame.
- Then switch off the flame, let the dish cool down properly, and refrigerate it.
- Chop your favourite fruits like apples, grapes, bananas and add them to the phirni.
- Sprinkle some cardamom powder on the top of chilled phirni before serving.
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Poha khichu
It is a Gujarati dish prepared with rice but poha is no less than it! It is quick to prepare and easy to serve with flavourful bites. So here comes the method to prepare it:
- Wash and clean 2 cups poha properly and spread it on a plate to prevent it from sogging.
- Now grind 2 cups thin poha in a blender until it turns into crumbs.
- Mix half cup water,1 pinch baking soda, ½ tsp cumin seeds powder and salt according to your taste in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Next microwave it for 2 minutes then add ground poha, ½ tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp oil and 1 chopped green chilli and whisk so that there are no lumps.
- Microwave for 1 minute on high and garnish with 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves.
- Drizzle with 1 tsp sesame oil mixed with chilli powder and serve hot.
Poha dosa
Crispy and delicious dosas are another best go-to breakfast dish. You can chuck it on with sambar, chutneys or even with hot tea. So here comes the variation in the ingredient of this easy to prepare dosa.
- Wash and drain 1/2 cup thick rice with 5 tbsp split black lentils.
- Then add 1 cup thick beaten rice, ½ tsp fenugreek seeds and soak it for 6 hours.
- Drain and then grind into a smooth mixture with ½ cup curd and 1 ¾ cup of water.
- Pour the mixture into a bowl and add salt. Cover and keep aside for 8 hours.
- When you can see the bubbles that mean it is prepared and fermented. Mix it well and heat a non-stick Tawa.
- Grease it with 1 tsp oil, pour a portion of the batter using a ladle, and spread it in a circular motion.
- Cover and cook over medium flame for 1-2 minutes.
- Fold the dosa into a semicircle.
- Serve it with curd or any of your favourite chutneys.