Vegetable Poha – Spiced Flattened Rice
Vegetable Poha is a quick breakfast or snack food made of beaten rice or flattened rice from the Indian cuisines. Growing up in South India, Poha was a staple diet in my household. I never really appreciated the goodness of Poha until I realized how easy it is to cook and how nutritious they are. Based on a quick survey of readers I could see that not many people actually know what Poha or Flattened Rice is. So, I take this opportunity to show you how you can prepare this yummy and easy meal that can be a perfect lunch option for kids or for a weekend breakfast.
Flattened rice comes in as many varieties as there are types of rice. It comes in varying thickness too. Generally speaking the thinner it gets, they are lighter on the stomach and hence easily digestible. Poha from brown rice is known for the low glycemic index and generally used for breakfast. Cooking these flattened rice is a lot easier and lot faster than cooking rice, but the procedure is entirely different. Dry spices mixed in with a base of green spring vegetables forms a good medium to mix in slightly soaked Poha to make this recipe.
The choice of vegetable is really up to you. I chose to have carrots, tomatoes and green beans in my recipe for a bright and colorful mixture. You can try Parsnips or  Chinese long beans too. As long as you allow enough time for the vegetables to soften, the Poha takes care of the rest. You can find Poha or flattened rice in any Indian grocery store and also on Amazon. You don’t have to plan ahead. As long as you have some vegetables and Indian spices, you are all set.
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Here are the recipe details….
Vegetable Poha - Spiced Flattened Rice
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup Poha
- 1 cup onions
- ½ cup tomatoes
- ¼ cup grated carrots
- ¼ cup chopped green beans
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp urad dal
- 1 tbsp oil
- 10 curry leaves
- ½ inch ginger
- 4 green chilies
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp cilantro
- 2 tbsp cashews or peanuts
Instructions
- Soak the Poha in water for 5 to 8 minutes. Strain the water and place it aside.
- Place a pan over medium heat and saute the cashews over vegetable oil.
- Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and sauté until they sizzle or pop.
- Add ginger, chilies, and curry leaves and sauté for 30 -40 seconds.
- Add onions and sauté until they turn translucent.
- Add grated carrots, beans, and tomatoes. Add salt to taste.
- Cook for 2 minutes and then add spices like turmeric, chili powder, and Garam Masala. Cook for about 5 minutes until the raw smell is gone.
- Now, add the strained Poha and cook for 5 minutes over low heat.
- Switch off the heat and drizzle few teaspoons of lemon juice and garnish with Cilantro before serving.
Vegetable poha or spiced flattened rice is ready to serve.
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Priya Suresh
April 19, 2018 at 8:39 pmVegetable poha looks absolutely inviting and colourful. Wholesome and delicious Uma. Lovely dish.
Uma Srinivas
April 19, 2018 at 8:55 pmThank you Priya 🙂
Jolly
April 20, 2018 at 10:07 amPoha looks very tempting! Our family favourite breakfast… Loved it!!
Avin
April 20, 2018 at 12:28 pmBeautiful pictures. I could eat poha for breakfast everyday if served like that. Loving it👍
Sujata Roy
April 21, 2018 at 5:25 pmPoha looks so inviting. Perfect breakfast recipe. Loved your click. Great share.
Aruna
April 22, 2018 at 4:28 amI am crazy about Poha and love loading it with vegetables too. 🙂
Freda @ Aromatic essence
April 22, 2018 at 5:41 amLove the flavor-packed poha! One of our favorite breakfasts 🙂
Rafeeda - The Big Sweet Tooth
April 22, 2018 at 7:55 amFor me, poha used to be always associated with sweetness, that’s how we have been eating from small, so making it savory was a revelation and something that I loved! The vegetable poha sounds totally delicious…
Shobha Keshwani
April 22, 2018 at 9:45 amLovely idea of adding veggies to the poha.. Healthy option.
Nivedita Thadani
April 22, 2018 at 3:06 pmColourful, healthy Indian food. Perfect for any time with hot cup of tea or coffee. Loved the colour.
Vanitha Bhat
April 22, 2018 at 11:20 pmAll-time favorite jhatpat breakfast dish I can enjoy every day! Your dish looks so inviting and I am so tempted to make it soon again 🙂 🙂
Maria
April 23, 2018 at 5:02 amThat’s seriously quick, sounds amazing and looks picture perfect! Thank you for the very useful information on poha. It’s not a part of staple diet in Lahore but I’m tempted to go search for it. Maybe I’ll buy it online.
Uma Srinivas
April 23, 2018 at 10:31 pmThank you Maria:) You can find in Amazon too 🙂
Vidya Narayan
April 23, 2018 at 6:27 amAs I sit to comment on your post, guess what is in my breakfast bowl? Poha. I use brown rice poha and red rice poha too along with the regular organic variety. It is a wholesome breakfast or in my case sometimes and early dinner option too on days when I am too tired to cook or just lazy. Loved the addition of vegetables making it healthy and colourful.
Uma Srinivas
April 23, 2018 at 8:39 pmThank you Vidya 🙂 I totally agree this is light and healthy!
Ritu Tangri
April 23, 2018 at 8:11 amLovely presentation, beautiful pictures make this healthy and vegiee loaded poha all the more demanding 🙂
Jyoti Babel
April 23, 2018 at 9:10 amone of my fav breakfast dishes. I generally use peanuts instead of cashew. Will love it with a cup of chai
Uma Srinivas
April 23, 2018 at 8:37 pmEven I use peanuts sometimes:) you can use any kind of nuts!
Jayashree
April 23, 2018 at 10:10 amPoha is a preferred breakfast, it is tasty and easier to prepare. Addition of these veggies has made it more tasty and healthy.
Uma Srinivas
April 23, 2018 at 8:36 pmThank you 😊
Jagruti
April 23, 2018 at 3:16 pmPoha is one of my favourite dishes and with all these goodness in there I can easily have a couple of plate:)
Uma Srinivas
April 23, 2018 at 8:35 pmTrue 🙂 Thank you 😊
sapana
April 24, 2018 at 9:07 amPoha is something I can have for breakfast almost every day.Love the addition of vegetables, makes it healthy and more delicious.
Sasmita
April 25, 2018 at 6:00 amIts a healthy share and at my home, its a common affair 😛