Tomato Poha | Poha recipe | How to make poha

Poha is known by different names in different part of Indian. It is normally referred as Flattened Rice or Beaten Rice in Western countries. In Karnataka, it is called Avalakki. In Bengali, poha is known as Chire.

Poha recipe is cooked in India in more than 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 Bengaluru, I had the Kannada style Poha and that tastes superb too.

In Bengal, Poha is prepared in a different version and it’s called Chirer Pulao. My Mom used to prepare this mouth-watering dish for breakfast in our childhood. After shifting to Pune, when I had the Maharashtrian version of Poha for the first time, I just loved the preparation. When I prepared Tomato Poha for my family, they complemented my cooking. Now, Tomato Poha has become one of our regular recipes for vegetarian breakfast.

Tomato Poha is a very simple and easy recipe. It gets prepared very quickly without investing much effort. It requires few easily available ingredients to get prepared. The best part of the dish is that it is gluten free and vegan which makes it one of the most popular vegetarian breakfast recipes Indian.

In today’s world, we are surrounded by junk food and fizzy drinks. Poha recipe are very healthy and light dish which is cooked in very less Oil and spices. Tomato Poha can be a healthy addition to your regular diet.

Tomato Poha recipe with step by step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section of the recipe. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share few interesting facts about the dish and Poha (Flattened Rice).

Health benefits of Poha (Flattened Rice)

Varieties of Poha (Flattened Rice)

There are mainly two varieties of Poha that are available in the market.

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 soft. Lastly, the thicker ones would require to be soaked more than 15 minutes to make them soft.

For the Maharashtrian Poha recipe, I have used the second variety. I have used white medium thick beaten/flattened rice.

How to make Poha?

For the vegetarian breakfast recipe Indian, first I have washed and soaked the Poha for 5 minutes to make them soft. Tomato Poha is little bit different from Kanda Poha. I have used lesser amount of onions for the recipe. Onions give nice flavour and sweetness to the dish. The combination of tomatoes and onion make the dish taste heavenly.

For the Tomato Poha recipe, I always go heavy with tomatoes. It gives a nice tangy taste to the dish. So, I skipped lemon juice for the recipe. If you like extra tangy taste, then you can squeeze some lemon juice on the top.

In this preparation, I have used Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, Asafoetida (Hing), dry red chillies and Curry leaves for tempering. I have used Ginger paste, green Chillies and Cilantros for flavouring. I have added roasted Peanuts by following the traditional recipe. It gives a nice bite to the dish.

I have used ready-made roasted Peanuts in this preparation. So, I have directly added the peanuts at the end. If you are using raw peanuts, then it should be added after tempering the whole spices. Raw peanuts need to be fried for a minute in medium low flame before adding the onions.

For the vegan breakfast recipes Indian, I have used turmeric powder, chilli powder and cumin powder other than the whole spices for the flavouring of the dish.

After putting all the spices to the tomatoes, I have added the soaked Poha (Beaten Rice) into pan and mixed it and cooked for a little while.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Poha (Flattened Rice)
• 2 Tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
• 1 Onion, thin sliced
• 1 teaspoon Ginger paste
• 2-3 green Chillies, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons Cilantro, chopped
• 8-10 Curry leaves
• ½ teaspoon yellow Mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 2 dry red Chillies
• ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida (Hing)
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
• 3 tablespoons roasted Peanuts
• Salt to taste
• Oil for cooking

1. First take the beaten/flattened rice into a large bowl, wash them and soak them in water for 5 minutes. As I mentioned above, this time may vary depending on the quality of beaten/flattened rice that you are using.
   
   
   

2. Check with the help of your finger whether the poha are soft enough to get cooked. If you find the beaten/flattened rice are dry from inside or it’s not getting mashed, then soak them for another couple of minutes and check again.
3. Drain the water and keep the poha aside.
   Tip: If you are using the fine quality light beaten/flattened rice then never soak them in water. It can make your Poha mushy. Take them in a strainer and rinse them in running water. They will be ready for cooking.
   
4. Add Oil into the pan and wait until the Oil is hot.
   

5. Add Mustard seeds, dry red Chilli, Curry leaves, Asafoetida (Hing) and let them to crackle.
   

6. Add the Onions and give a nice mix.
   

7. Cook them for 3-4 minutes in medium high flame until they become translucent.
8. Add Ginger paste and give a nice mix.
   

9. Cook them in medium flame for 1-2 minutes until the raw smell of Ginger paste goes away.
10. Add tomatoes and give a nice mix.
    

11. Add salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and mix them thoroughly.
    

12. Add chopped green chillies and mix it well.
    

13. Cover the pan and cook them in low flame for 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes become tender.
14. Add cumin powder and mix it nicely.
    

15. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for another minute.
16. Add soaked Poha (Step 3) and give a nice mix.
    
    

17. Cover the pan and cook them for a minute in low flame.
18. Add chopped Cilantros, roasted peanuts and mix them thoroughly.
    

    Note: I have used ready-made roasted Peanuts in this preparation. So, I have directly added the peanuts at the end. If you are using raw peanuts, then it should be added before frying Onions. Raw peanuts need to be fried for a minute in medium low flame before adding the onions.
    

19. Cook them in medium flame for 30 seconds and switch off the flame.

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