Chirer polao | Chirer pulao | How to make chirer polao

Chirer polao aka chirer pulao is an exemplary Bengali breakfast recipe which is frequently prepared in Bengali households. This healthy and delectable vegetarian breakfast recipe is popular for its unique taste, amazing flavours and simplicity. In this preparation, soaked flattened rice aka chire is cooked with seasonal vegetables like cauliflower, peas, carrot, potato, onion and dry fruits like peanuts, raisins along with some spices. It is mostly served as breakfast or evening snacks with a cup of tea. It could be a healthy addition to your regular diet.

About the recipe
Health Benefits of flattened Rice
Tips and Suggestions
How to make Chirer Polao (step wise photos)
Recipe Card

Chirer polao is a Bengali delicacy and it’s a Bengali name where chire stands for flattened rice or beaten rice and polao means a fragrant rice dish prepared with vegetables and spices. In short, a pulao recipe prepared with flattened rice instead of basmati rice. It is mostly served as breakfast, evening snacks and even a perfect option for lunchbox.

Chire is known by different names in different parts of India. It is normally referred to as “flattened rice” or “beaten rice”But in Western countries. In Karnataka, it is called Avalakki. In north India, it is known as Poha.

There are mainly two varieties of flattened rice aka poha that are available in the market.

• White
• Red

Then these two varieties are further sub-divided according to their thickness. Some varieties are very fine and light in quality, and you just need to wash them to make them soft. Few other varieties are medium thick, and you need to soak them for 4-5 minutes to make them soft. Lastly, the thicker ones would require to be soaked for more than 15 minutes to make them soft.

For the chirer polao, I have used the second variety. I have used white medium thick beaten aka flattened rice.

Poha recipe is cooked in India in more than a hundred varieties. In Maharashtra itself, it is cooked in many ways e.g. Tomato Poha, Kanda Poha, Batata Poha, Matar Poha etc. Poha is equally popular in South India too. When I was in Bangalore, I had the Kannada-style Poha and that tastes superb too.

But in Bengal, Poha is prepared in a different version and it’s called Chirer Pulao. Both the preparations are close to each other but not the same. The taste and flavour of both dishes are completely different. In today’s world, we are surrounded by junk food and fizzy drinks. Chirer polao are very healthy and light dish which is cooked with healthy vegetables and very less spices.

My Mom used to prepare this mouth-watering dish chirer polao for breakfast in our childhood. In short, I have grown up eating this delicacy. I still remember during the winter season when different varieties of fresh vegetables were easily available in the market my mom used to prepare this healthy delight. She used to put all the possible vegetables into the dish and we used to devour it without any complaint.

Chirer polao aka chirer pulao is a very simple and easy recipe. It gets prepared very quickly without investing much effort. It requires limited ingredients to get prepared and all the ingredients are easily available in any Bengali kitchen pantry. The best part of the dish is that it is gluten-free which makes it one of the most popular vegetarian breakfast recipes Indian.

Chirer polao with step-by-step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section of the recipe. I have shared all the tips and tricks below so that you can get the perfect results for the recipe. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share a few interesting facts about the dish and the main ingredient of the recipe chire aka flattened rice.

• Chire (flattened rice) is full of fibre and it’s good for our digestive system.
• It is an excellent source of iron, protein and carbohydrate
• It is full of Vitamin B and B1.
• It is a good source of instant energy.

• Always cut the vegetables into small pieces for the recipe. Big chunks of vegetables don’t taste good.
• Fry each vegetable separately to get the perfect texture because every vegetable has a different cooking time.
• Soak the chire aka flattened rice according to its quality and thickness of it. Oversoaking may make the chirer polao mushy.
• After soaking the chire, strain it properly and make sure no extra moisture is there.
• You can adjust the amount of green chilli according to your own preference.
• Don’t skip the ghee and Bengali garam masala powder from the recipe. It enhances the flavour and taste of the dish.
• Chirer polao is slightly sweet in taste. So, I added a little bit of sugar to it.

To prepare chirer polao, first, peel and cut the vegetables properly and keep them aside. Then wash and soak the flattened rice for 5 minutes to make them soft. I have used the medium thick variety for the recipe. Then strain the water and keep the chire aside.

Now, put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add oil to the pan. Once the oil is hot, add cauliflower florets into the pan and fry them over medium flame till its cooked and brown spots appear on their body. Strain the cauliflower pieces from the oil and keep them aside on a plate.

Then add potato pieces into the pan and cook it over medium flame till its cooked and brown spots appear. Strain the potato pieces from the oil and keep them aside on a plate.

Add carrot pieces into the pan and cook it over medium flame till it’s cooked. Strain the pieces from the oil and keep them aside on a plate.

Now add peanuts into the pan and fry them over low flame for 3-4 minutes until the skin of the peanuts changes its colour.

Now, in the same pan, add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamoms, cloves, cumin seeds and let them crackle.

Add onion slices into the pan and fry them on medium flame till translucent. Then add the ginger paste into the pan and cook it over the lowest flame for 2-3 minutes till the raw smell goes away.

Add the fried cauliflower, potato, carrots into the pan and mix it well. Then add blanched green peas, green chillies into the pan and mix it well.

Add salt, turmeric powder into the pan and mix it well. Cook it on low flame for 1-2 minutes. Then add peanuts, raisins into the pan and mix it.

Add the soaked flattened rice into the pan. Add sugar, Bengali garam masala powder into the pan and mix it gently. Cover the pan and cook it on the lowest flame for 5 minutes.

Take off the lid and add ghee to the pan. Mix it nicely and then switch off the flame. Now your chirer polao is ready to serve.

Many vegetarian breakfast recipes easy have already been shared in my previous posts. You can check a few of them like

Upma recipe
Kanda Poha
Sattu Ka Paratha

..And Many more…

1 Cup = 250 ml

• 2 cups Chire aka flattened Rice, medium thick variety
• ½ cup Cauliflower, small florets
• 1 medium Potato, small diced
• 1 medium Carrot, small diced
• ⅓ cup Green peas, blanched
• 1 medium Onion, thin sliced
• 2-3 green Chillies, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Ginger paste
• ¼ cup Peanuts
• 1 tablespoon Raisins
• 2 Bay leaves (Tejpatta)
• 3 Cloves (Laung)
• 1-inch Cinnamon stick (Dalchini)
• 2 Cardamoms (Hari elaichi)
• ¼ teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon Bengali garam masala
• 1 teaspoon Ghee aka clarified butter
• 1-2 teaspoons Sugar
• Salt to taste
• 3 tablespoons Oil
• Water to wash and soak the flattened rice

1. Take 2 cups chire aka flattened rice into a large bowl, wash them twice and soak them in water for 5 minutes. As I mentioned above, this time may vary depending on the quality of beaten or flattened rice that you are using.
2. Check with the help of your finger whether the poha is soft enough to get cooked. If you find the chire aka flattened rice is dry from the inside then soak them for another couple of minutes and check again. Strain the water and keep the chire aside. Tip: If you are using the fine quality light beaten/flattened rice then never soak them in water. It can make your chire mushy. Take them in a strainer and rinse them in running water. They will be ready for cooking.
3. Now, put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add 3 tablespoons oil to the pan and allow it to become hot.
4. Once the oil is hot, add ½ cup cauliflower florets into the pan and fry them over medium flame for 5-6 minutes till its cooked and brown spots appear on their body. Strain the cauliflower pieces from the oil and keep them aside on a plate.
5. Add potato pieces into the pan and cook it over medium flame for 4-5 minutes till it’s cooked and brown spots appear. Strain the potato pieces from the oil and keep them aside on a plate.
6. Add carrot pieces into the pan and cook it over medium flame for 3-4 minutes till it’s cooked. Strain the pieces from the oil and keep them aside on a plate.
7. Now add ¼ cup peanuts into the pan and fry them over low flame for 3-4 minutes until the skin of the peanuts changes its colour. Strain the peanuts from the pan and keep it aside.
8. Now in the same pan, add 2 bay leaves, 1-inch cinnamon stick, 2 cardamoms, 3 cloves, ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds and let them crackle.
9. Add onion slices into the pan and fry them on a medium flame for 5-6 minutes till translucent.
10. Add 1 teaspoon ginger paste into the pan and cook it over the lowest flame for 2-3 minutes till the raw smell goes away.
11. Add the fried cauliflower, potato, carrots into the pan and mix it well.
12. Add ⅓ cup blanched green peas, 2-3 green chillies into the pan and mix it well.
13. Add salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder into the pan and mix it well. Cook it on low flame for 1-2 minutes.
14. Add the fried peanuts, 1 tablespoon of raisins into the pan and mix it.
15. Add the soaked flattened rice into the pan.
16. Add 1-2 teaspoons sugar, ½ teaspoon Bengali garam masala powder into the pan and mix it gently. Cover the pan and cook it on the lowest flame for 5 minutes.
17. Add 1 teaspoon of ghee into the pan and mix it nicely.
18. Switch off the flame. Now your chirer polao is ready to serve.

Transfer the chirer polao aka chirer pulao to a serving bowl or on a serving plate. Serve hot or warm to enjoy its best taste. Serve it with a cup of hot milk tea and enjoy the Bengali delicacy.

Chirer polao | Chirer pulao | How to make chirer polao

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 25 Minutes 25 Minutes

Nutrition facts: NA calories NA fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

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Ingredients

1 Cup = 250 ml

• 2 cups Chire aka flattened Rice, medium thick variety
• ½ cup Cauliflower, small florets
• 1 medium Potato, small diced
• 1 medium Carrot, small diced
• ⅓ cup Green peas, blanched
• 1 medium Onion, thin sliced
• 2-3 green Chillies, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Ginger paste
• ¼ cup Peanuts
• 1 tablespoon Raisins
• 2 Bay leaves (Tejpatta)
• 3 Cloves (Laung)
• 1-inch Cinnamon stick (Dalchini)
• 2 Cardamoms (Hari elaichi)
• ¼ teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon Bengali garam masala
• 1 teaspoon Ghee aka clarified butter
• 1-2 teaspoons Sugar
• Salt to taste
• 3 tablespoons Oil
• Water to wash and soak the flattened rice

Instructions

1. Take 2 cups chire aka flattened rice into a large bowl, wash them twice and soak them in water for 5 minutes. As I mentioned above, this time may vary depending on the quality of beaten or flattened rice that you are using.
2. Check with the help of your finger whether the poha is soft enough to get cooked. If you find the chire aka flattened rice is dry from the inside then soak them for another couple of minutes and check again. Strain the water and keep the chire aside. Tip: If you are using the fine quality light beaten/flattened rice then never soak them in water. It can make your chire mushy. Take them in a strainer and rinse them in running water. They will be ready for cooking.
3. Now, put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add 3 tablespoons oil to the pan and allow it to become hot.
4. Once the oil is hot, add ½ cup cauliflower florets into the pan and fry them over medium flame for 5-6 minutes till its cooked and brown spots appear on their body. Strain the cauliflower pieces from the oil and keep them aside on a plate.
5. Add potato pieces into the pan and cook it over medium flame for 4-5 minutes till it's cooked and brown spots appear. Strain the potato pieces from the oil and keep them aside on a plate.
6. Add carrot pieces into the pan and cook it over medium flame for 3-4 minutes till it’s cooked. Strain the pieces from the oil and keep them aside on a plate.
7. Now add ¼ cup peanuts into the pan and fry them over low flame for 3-4 minutes until the skin of the peanuts changes its colour. Strain the peanuts from the pan and keep it aside.
8. Now in the same pan, add 2 bay leaves, 1-inch cinnamon stick, 2 cardamoms, 3 cloves, ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds and let them crackle.
9. Add onion slices into the pan and fry them on a medium flame for 5-6 minutes till translucent.
10. Add 1 teaspoon ginger paste into the pan and cook it over the lowest flame for 2-3 minutes till the raw smell goes away.
11. Add the fried cauliflower, potato, carrots into the pan and mix it well.
12. Add ⅓ cup blanched green peas, 2-3 green chillies into the pan and mix it well.
13. Add salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder into the pan and mix it well. Cook it on low flame for 1-2 minutes.
14. Add the fried peanuts, 1 tablespoon of raisins into the pan and mix it.
15. Add the soaked flattened rice into the pan.
16. Add 1-2 teaspoons sugar, ½ teaspoon Bengali garam masala powder into the pan and mix it gently. Cover the pan and cook it on the lowest flame for 5 minutes.
17. Add 1 teaspoon of ghee into the pan and mix it nicely.
18. Switch off the flame. Now your chirer polao is ready to serve.