Poha Recipe – Kanda Poha & Kanda Batata Pohe

Poha is a delicious, healthy and easy Indian breakfast recipe from the state of Maharashtra. Pohe is a simple and quick dish made of flattened rice, potatoes, simple spices, onions, grated coconut, peanuts and herbs like coriander leaves or cilantro leaves, curry leaves.

There are so many variations with this recipe like kanda poha, kanda batata poha, dahi poha etc. These are very simple and quick to make, makes for a wonderful breakfast or snack with chai. Vegan recipe.

In this post I am sharing how to make poha recipe in 20 minutes in two different ways. If you are looking for a simple yet easy to make nourishing breakfast, these pohe variations are your best bet.

Poha or pohe has always been my favorite dish to make and eat. This is one of the first few dishes I learnt to cook and I have perfected the recipes over years after trying many times.

Piping hot plate of pohe topped with loads of fresh grated coconut and a squeeze of lemon is something I love on anytime of the day.

Now before going into the detailed recipe, here are few basic details that will help you understand better especially if you are a beginner or unfamiliar with Indian cooking.

What Is Poha?

Poha is beaten rice or flattened rice or rice flakes used in various ways in Indian cooking. Pohe is the plural word for the same. They are also known as parched rice.

The term poha is interchangeably used for both raw and cooked flattened rice. Along with this popular preparation, beaten rice is also used in making chivda (a savory snack), idli, dosa, ladoo etc.

Beaten rice or pohe are inexpensive, nourishing, easy to make & filling which is why it is so widely used in Indian cuisine.

There are many varieties of it like thin poha or paper poha, thick poha, red rice poha etc. These days we also get various millet pohe which you can use instead of rice flakes.

Some of the very popular variations of this Maharashtrian POHA recipe are kanda pohe, kanda batata poha recipe. Along with these two I also make another variation with added vegetables.

About This Recipe

POHA recipe is a simple, quick, nutritious and easy to Indian breakfast or snack. You can make this in many variations, while the most popular ones are made with onion and potatoes. Kanda means onion and batata beans potatoes.

The first recipe made with flattened rice, shared here is made in the traditional way with onions, potatoes and thick poha. For the second method I have used only onions and made it without turmeric powder and this is excellent as snack with coffee.

There is one more version called Indori poha. It is a very flavorful sweet and sour preparation with w distinct flavor of fennel seeds. Indori poha has the most interesting toppings like raw onions, pomegranate and thin sev or bhujia.

I like to use thick poha for these recipes as they hold shape on cooking as well have a nice chewy texture. Thin poha is suitable for raw preparations only.

To make this recipe we will first start by rinsing pohe thoroughly in running water. You can rinse twice or thrice depending on the thickness of the rice flakes. Rinsing also softens them. To the rinsed poha we will add salt, turmeric powder, toss and set aside.

Next make a quick tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves, cumin seeds and peanuts. Saute onions until soft, add boiled and cubed potatoes if using and saute. Add the prepared poha, saute and cook for 3-4 minutes until the flavors combine. Finally add a good squeeze of lemon juice, grated coconut and serve immediately.

Do try out this simple and easy poha recipe and enjoy. It is

super quick to make

delicious and flavorful

ready in minutes

vegan and gluten free

perfect recipe for beginners

healthy & nourishing

Ingredients

Beaten Rice or Raw Poha

There are many varieties of poha available in Indian grocery stores. We need thick or medium ones for this recipe. Thick poha stays in shape on softening and also has a chewy texture. If you use thin pohe they will become mushy on softening and pasty on further cooking. Instead of regular rice pohe you can also millet poha or red rice poha if you like.

Roasted Peanuts

Peanuts lend a wonderful crunch, taste and flavor to pohe. I add them along with tempering ingredients and roast but you can also dry roast them beforehand. You can also top the pohe generously with roasted peanuts before serving.

Onions

Finely chopped red onions lend a wonderful flavor and texture to this dish. For milder flavor you can also use white onions. For an interesting flavor twist you can add finely chopped raw onions before serving.

Mustard Seeds & Cumin Seeds

These are used as tempering ingredients or tadka for poha recipe along with curry leaves, green chilies. They mainly add flavor to this dish.

Potatoes

Potatoes are optional and when you use it the dish becomes kanda batata poha. I have used boiled and cubed potatoes as I had some leftover. You can also just scrub, dice and cook the potatoes in the same pan before adding poha. Choose whichever method is convenient for you.

Lemon Juice

A good squeeze of lemon juice or lime juice before serving ties up all the flavor of this together and makes it absolutely delicious. If lemon juice is unavailable you can use a pinch of amchur or dry mango powder.

Other Ingredients

Salt, sugar, chopped coriander leaves, turmeric powder, water for softening the pohe.

How To Make Poha Recipe

Measure 2.5 cups poha and clean it by looking for mud or grits. Once Cleaned add it to a colander and rinse it very well with running water once or twice. Let the excess water drain thoroughly in the colander itself. This step will soften the pohe. We should not soak pohe like tice.

Once water is drained add 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder. Mix well with fingers.

In the meanwhile chop 1 medium onion, cube 2 boiled and peeled and potatoes. You can also use raw potatoes.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan. Add one teaspoon mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 2 slit green chillies, few curry leaves and saute for a minute in medium heat.

Now add 1 cup chopped onions and saute until they turn a bit soft. Do not let them brown.

Add potatoes and saute. If using boiled potatoes, saute for 2-3 minutes. If you are using uncooked potatoes, add 2 tablespoons water, cover and cook for 6-7 minutes or until they turn soft.

Next add the strained poha. Mix well and saute for 2 minutes. You can cover the pan and simmer for 3-4 minutes in low heat until the poha is cooked completely.

Once everything is well combined, add chopped coriander leaves, grated coconut and mix well. Remove from flame. Add lemon juice and mix. Taste test and add more salt or lemon juice. Serve kanda batata poha or aloo poha hot as breakfast or evening snack.

Kanda Poha Recipe- Onion Poha

Ingredients

3 cups beaten rice or thick poha

1.5 cups chopped onions (from 2 large onions)

2 green chilies

3 tablespoons peanuts

12 curry leaves

1/2 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon oil

Method

Pick & rinse pohe thoroughly. Drain excess water in a colander. Add salt & sugar to the soft poha and mix well. Set aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and let them crackle. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Next add curry leaves, green chilies and saute for a minute.

Now add chopped onions and saute till they turn a bit soft. Do not brown the onions. Finally add the prepared flattened rice mixture and mix. Cook poha in low flame for 2-3 minutes or until pohe are completely soft. Add coriander leaves and mix gently. Remove from flame. Add fresh lemon juice, mix and serve kanda poha or onion poha warm with coffee or chai.

Serving Suggestions

Poha is best served as breakfast or evening snacks. It tastes so delicious, comforting and flavorful on its own when served hot. I love poha piping hot with loads of coconut and coriander leaves.

You can serve with green chutney, mango pickle or lemon pickle, plain yogurt or spiced curd too.

Well made poha stays soft even on cooling, so you can also pack it in snack box for kids.

Pro Tips

Type of poha – There are many varieties of poha flakes available and thick or medium ones are best suited for making poha recipe. Thin flakes turn mushy on rinsing and will spoil the taste.

Do note that in some places thick poha is very thick and does not soften on rinsing. If your poha is very dense and thick, you can soak it for 5 minutes in water before rinsing. Drain the soaked poha, squeeze it well to remove any excess water and use in the recipe.

If you are using red rice poha or brown poha too, it is better to soak them for 5-10 minutes. If it is very hard you can also steam it for 3-4 minutes before mixing with other ingredients.

Vegetable poha– You can add more vegetables to this dish to make it more colorful, nutritious and delicious. Green peas, corn, chopped or grated carrots, can be added in this dish.

A pinch of sugar added along with salt lends a very unique & wonderful taste and flavor to poha. Do not miss it.

Coconut– Grate fresh coconut and add as garnish before serving. It adds so much flavor and taste to this delicious recipe. If freshly grated coconut is unavailable you can use unsweetened desiccated coconut to garnish poha.

Green chili– We like our poha spicier, so I add 2-3 chillies. If you are making for kids or prefer non spicy dish, just add 1 chili or skip it. You can some crushed black pepper instead.

Leftovers– Store in airtight container for a day in refrigerator. Reheat or steam for few minutes before serving.

Variations

Indori Poha– Add 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds while tempering and add 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds, sev and finely chopped onions as garnish.

Lemon poha– You can follow this lemon rice recipe and add softened poha instead of rice.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Recipe