Poha (rice) facts for kids
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| Alternative names | See text. |
|---|---|
| Course | Breakfast |
| Place of origin | India |
| Serving temperature | along with curd |
| Main ingredients | Dehusked rice |
| Similar dishes | Flattened rice |
Poha, also known as pauwa, sira, chira, or avalakki, is a type of flattened rice. It comes from the Indian subcontinent. To make poha, rice is first partly cooked (this is called parboiling). Then it is flattened into flakes. This process makes the rice easy to eat with very little cooking.
These rice flakes swell up when you add them to liquid. They can soak up water, milk, or other liquids. The flakes can be very thin, almost see-through. Some are thicker, about four times thinner than a normal rice grain.
Poha is easy to digest. It is very popular in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. People often use it to make quick snacks or light meals. There are many different ways to prepare it in Indian cuisine. Some dishes can even last for a week or more.
You can eat flattened rice raw. Just soak it in water or milk, and add salt and sugar. Or, you can lightly fry it in oil. People often add nuts, raisins, and spices when frying it. This lightly fried version is a common breakfast in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh. This area includes cities like Ujjain and Indore.
Poha can also be mixed with hot water to make a soft porridge. In villages, especially in Chhattisgarh, people eat raw flattened rice mixed with jaggery (a type of unrefined sugar). Indori poha from Indore is very famous. It is often eaten with a crispy snack called sev.
In Maharashtra, poha is cooked with lightly fried mustard seeds, turmeric, green chili, chopped onions, and fried peanuts. The softened flattened rice is added to this spicy mix. Then it is steamed for a few minutes.
Popular Poha Dishes
Many tasty dishes are made from flattened rice. Here are a few popular ones:
Sweet Poha Dishes
- Avil Nanachathu (Kerala): This dish mixes beaten rice with milk, sugar, grated coconut, and banana pieces. Sometimes, peanuts or cashews are added too.
- Avil Vilayichathu (Kerala): Here, beaten rice is fried in ghee (clarified butter). Then it is mixed with jaggery, lentils, cashews, peanuts, and grated coconut.
- Dahi Churaa (Bihari, Nepali): This is beaten rice mixed with ripe banana, yogurt, and sugar. It is a common snack. Farmers in Nepal traditionally eat it during rice planting season.
- Dhau Baji (Newar): Beaten rice is dry roasted in a pan. Then it is mixed with yogurt and sugar.
- Chuda Kadali Chakata (Odisha): Washed beaten rice is mixed with milk, mashed ripe bananas, grated coconut, and sugar or jaggery. It is a traditional breakfast in Odisha.
- Chuda Kadamba (Odisha): First, cashews and raisins are fried in ghee. Then, beaten rice is ground with cardamom, sugar, grated coconut, ghee, and a little milk. Small balls (like ladoo) are made from this mix. They are eaten after being chilled.
Savory Poha Dishes
- Chindé'r Pulao: This snack is made by soaking rice flakes in cold water and drying them. Then it is prepared like a pilaf with nuts, raisins, black pepper, green chilies, salt, and sugar. It is a popular breakfast or evening meal at home.
- Chira Bhaja (Bengali/Bangla): Beaten rice is fried in oil and salted. Peanuts, chili powder, and black salt can be added. It is eaten as a snack.
- Bajeel Ogarne or Avalakki Oggrane (Karnataka): Beaten rice is seasoned with curry leaves, mustard seeds, lentils, peanuts, oil, and red chilies. Grated coconut, onion, and cilantro can also be added. It is served hot.
- Kanda Pohe (Maharashtra): This is a very famous dish. Small pieces of boiled potato, onion, mustard seeds, turmeric, and red chili are cooked. Then they are mixed with soaked beaten rice and served hot. It can also be served with Tarri (a chickpea and tomato curry).
- Dadpe Pohe (Maharashtra): Thin or medium-sized beaten rice is mixed with fresh coconut, grated green mangoes, chili powder, and coriander. It is seasoned with salt and a fried mixture of peanut oil, mustard seeds, turmeric, and chopped onions. Lemon can be used instead of raw mango.
- Egg Pulau (Nepali): Raw and dry flattened rice is whisked with a spicy omelette mix. It is cooked in a pan like an omelette. The almost-cooked egg pulau is mashed and cooked until it turns reddish.
- Poha Jalebi: This is a very popular breakfast in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh. It is eaten in cities like Sagar, Indore, Ujjain, and Bhopal.
- Ful (egg) Chiura (Nepali): Common in Kathmandu, flattened rice is fried in oil with salt. When it turns golden, an egg is poached on top. The rice covers the egg until it is cooked.
Poha in Pop Culture
In the Marathi movie Sanai Choughade, there is a song called 'Kande Pohe'. It is all about the dish kande pohe.
See also
In Spanish: Poha para niños
