Poha Recipe | Kanda Poha

Indian cuisine comprises some of the most flavorful and delicious dishes we’ve ever tried, and while many people are familiar with the popular Indian curries, there is so much more to discover when it comes to Indian food. 

One of our favorite Indian dishes to enjoy as a snack or even for breakfast is Poha. This recipe is made from flattened rice, roasted peanuts, spices, and onions. It’s perfect for when you’re in the mood for something savory, nutritious, and packed with flavor.

If you’d like to learn how to make your own Poha, you’ve come to the right place! We’re going to be sharing our recipe for Kanda Poha, complete with our top tips for making the dish perfect. 

We’ll also be discussing different Poha varieties and the best way to store Poha, so stick around until the end!

How to Make Your Own Poha 

Ready to make Poha for your own family? Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients 

• Poha (1 ½ cups)
• Peanuts (2-3 tablespoons)
• Green chilies (2-3)
• Cumin seeds (½ teaspoon) 
• Mustard seeds (½ teaspoon) 
• Potato (1 medium, diced) 
• Onion (1 medium, chopped finely)
• Turmeric (½ teaspoon)
• Curry leaves (1 sprig)
• Coriander leaves (2 tablespoons)
• Lemon juice (1 tablespoon) 
• Salt (to taste)

Recipe 

1. Start by rinsing your Poha in a strainer or colander. You should rinse the rice under running water a few times until you notice it beginning to soften. You can tell when it’s ready because it should break apart without much effort when pressed between your fingers. 
2. Measure your cooking oil into your pan and add the peanuts. Over a medium heat, fry the peanuts until their color changes to golden brown. When the color change is complete, you can transfer the nuts to a plate and put them to one side.
3. Now,you can add your mustard seeds along with the cumin seeds and allow them to cook briefly before adding the curry leaves, onion, and chilies. Saute all of these ingredients together until the onions soften.
4. Transfer your potatoes and any other vegetables you’re going to be using into the pan and allow between 2 and 3 minutes for cooking. 
5. Cover the pan and continue cooking until the potatoes get soft. You can check the texture of the potatoes and add a small amount of water if they seem to be drying out.
6. You can now add your Poha to the pan, along with salt, sugar, and turmeric. Once again, if the mixture feels overly dry, just lightly sprinkle some water and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Make sure to turn the heat down low so you don’t burn the Poha!
7. Take the pan off the heat and add your roasted peanuts along with the lemon juice, stirring thoroughly to combine.
8. Add coconut and coriander to garnish if desired, and serve with coffee or Masala chai!

Poha Varieties and Variations 

White Poha is the most popular kind of Poha, although red and brown Poha rice is becoming more and more popular. 

Poha can either be thin, medium, or thick. We like to use thick or medium Poha, but thin Poha is great for sweet versions of the dish. 

Poha variations include Kanda Poha, Masala Poha, Vegetable Poha, and Batata Poha. Kanda Batata Poha is the type of Poha we’ll be making today because we’ll be using onions and potatoes.

In addition to experimenting with different Poha thicknesses, you can also create different variations of the dish by switching up the ingredients used. 

For example, you could add extra vegetables to make the dish even healthier. These might include green peas, bell peppers, carrots, or green beans. 

You could even take away some existing ingredients. For example, we always use onion in our Poha recipe, but not everyone likes the strong Allium flavor.

Therefore, you could leave out the onion or just swap it for cabbage. Some versions of Poha, such as Jain Poha, don’t use onions or potatoes.

Tips and Tricks for Perfect Poha 

1. Avoid thin Poha. Poha should either be medium or thick for this recipe because you need your flattened rice to be absorbent. Otherwise, it will turn mushy and unappetizing when rinsed. However, as long as the Poha is medium or thick, it doesn’t matter whether you use red or white Poha. 
2. Cut potatoes and onions finely. Potatoes and onions are meant to add extra texture and flavor to the dish, but you shouldn’t be finding big mouthfuls of them in your Poha. 
3. Rinse multiple times. Rinsing the Poha just once may not be enough, so we recommend rising 2 or 3 times. However, make sure to rinse quickly each time and completely drain the water to avoid a mushy texture.
4. Add water to prevent drying. You might find that your Poha starts to dry out during the cooking process. If this happens, don’t panic. Simply add a couple of tablespoons of water.
5. Add some sugar. Although Poha is a savory dish, adding some sugar can help to balance out the spices and the sharpness of the lime juice. However, if you don’t have a sweet tooth, you might want to avoid adding sugar to the recipe, especially if you’re already going to be using coconut, as you might find the sweetness too much. 
6. Wait until the heat is off before adding lemon juice. Lemon juice should be added to Poha right at the end of the cooking process, once you have already turned off the heat. Continuing to cook Poha with the lemon juice can alter the flavor. 
7. Try dried mango powder instead of lemon juice. If you think the citrus flavor of lemon juice will be too bitter for your tastes, you can try adding amchur instead. Amchur is a dried mango powder, and it adds a slightly sharp fruitiness to the Poha without being overly bitter.
8. Keep the heat low. Cooking Poha at high temperatures is a recipe for burning your dish or damaging the delicate balance of flavors. Keep the heat low for most of the process, especially once you’ve added the Poha to the other ingredients, since the flattened rice can easily catch on the bottom of your pan if the heat is too high.
9. Fluff your Poha. After rinsing and draining your Poha, you may want to try fluffing it with your hands before you add it to the pan for cooking. This is because Poha often gets clumpy when it’s wet, which can result in firm clumps of Poha in the completed dish. Fluffing will help to break apart the clumps for more even distribution and texture.

Kanda Poha Serving Suggestions 

Kanda Poha is best served with coffee. Filter coffee will work well with the flavors, but you could also serve the dish alongside Masala Chai. 

A sprinkling of freshly grated coconut, along with bhujia or sev, is the perfect way to add more flavor to your Kanda Poha. If you like the taste of coriander, coriander leaves are also a common garnish for Kanda Poha. 

How to Store Poha 

Ideally, you should try to consume all your Poha while it’s fresh and warm. This is because as Poha cools down, it gets drier. However, you might end up with some leftovers, in which case, you’ll need to know how to store it correctly. 

First of all, don’t be tempted to freeze Poha. This will dry out the rice and might impact the flavors, too. It’s best to store Poha in an airtight container in your refrigerator. As long as the container is well-sealed, you should be able to enjoy your Poha up to 3 days later.

When you get your Poha out of the refrigerator, you might find that it’s a little dry. This can be fixed with a light sprinkling of water before putting it in the microwave or on the stove. 

Final Thoughts 

Poha is the name of an ingredient as well as the name of a dish based around that ingredient. Poha refers to a type of flattened or beaten rice, which can be cooked with potatoes, onions, spices, and vegetables to create a delicious and nutritious breakfast or snack.

The main thing when making this Kanda Poha recipe is to thoroughly drain the Poha after rinsing, and always use either medium or thick Poha to avoid a mushy texture. 

Since Poha is a versatile dish, don’t be afraid to experiment and try adding your own ingredients. There are so many possible flavor combinations, so go ahead and discover them!

Frequently Asked Questions