Kanda Poha Recipe
Kanda Poha is a delicious breakfast recipe and an integral part of Maharashtrian cuisine. A nutritional, light, and simple dish is made by using flattened rice, onions, and some spices. It is a quick and easy recipe which can be made in under 20 minutes!
Poha is a popular Indian breakfast recipe and made in so many variations in different parts of the country. This is a mildly spicy, tangy, and lightly sweetened dish. It is a very comforting and simple recipe to make for breakfast or as a tea time snack.
Every Maharashtrian has some emotional bonding with the Kanda Poha. It is the first dish which comes to mind when someone asks what I should make for breakfast. Poha has been one of our favorite breakfast dishes since childhood. On most of the weekends, each family member gathers together to enjoy garam garam kande pohe.
Kande Pohe has an intriguing story and a deep cultural significance. This dish is prepared in arranged marriage settings when the groom’s family visits the bride’s family for the first time.
There are so many versions of Poha Recipe like Kanda Poha, Batata Poha, Matar Poha, and Dadpe Pohe. I have made poha recipes millions of times and in different variations. One of my family’s favorites is Kanda Poha with some fried peanuts.
Last year, we visited my husband’s cousin in Toronto, Canada. My husband’s aunt made absolutely soft yet fluffy kanda poha. I asked what her secret was to make the best and softest poha recipe. She gave me some great tips and of course I tried them and was blown away with the results. Sharing all of her tips and tricks in this blog post – Thank you so much Malu mavshi!
Table of Contents
What Is Kanda Poha?
“Kanda” means onions and “Poha” means flattened rice in Marathi language. It is a wholesome breakfast recipe originated from western states of India.
It is a delicious, fluffy, and simple breakfast recipe made with onions, flattened rice, and spices. Can be garnished with some toasted peanuts, fresh coconut, and coriander leaves. For perfectly tangy flavors, squeeze some lime juice on the top.
There are three types of poha – thin, medium, and thick. To make a perfect poha recipe, use medium or thick poha.
First, you will need to remove any dirt from the poha by sieving them. After that rinse them thoroughly under a tap of water. Set them aside to get soaked without getting dried out for a perfectly tasting poha.
Ingredients
- Poha
- Peanuts
- Onions
- Green chillies
- Curry leaves
- Mustard seeds
- Cumin seeds
- Asafoetida
- Turmeric powder
- Coriander leaves
- Lime
- Coconut
- Salt
- Sugar
- Milk
- Oil
Kanda Poha Step By Step Recipe
Pass the poha through a sieve to separate most of the powder.
Rinse the poha in running water a couple of times and strain out all the water from them. Set the poha aside, add 2 tsp milk, salt, sugar, and mix everything with the help of a fork. Cover the poha with a kitchen towel for 10-15 minutes.
In a wide pan or skillet, heat some oil on medium heat.
Lower the heat, fry the peanuts for 2-3 minutes until light brown, and crispy. Set them aside.
In the same pan, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Next, add the cumin seeds and let them splutter.
Lower the heat, add asafoetida, curry leaves, and green chillies.
Transfer the chopped onions. Increase the heat to medium low and sauté the onions for 2 minutes.
Add some turmeric powder and mix. Add 2 tbsp of water, cover the pan with a lid, and cook the onions for 2-3 minutes.
Fluff the poha with a fork and transfer them to the pan. Genly mix the poha by lifting and dropping method. You can use two utensils for mixing or use a wooden fork spatula.
Cover the pan with a lid and cook the poha for about 5 minutes without disturbing.
Squeeze some lime juice, mix the poha, and cook them for 2-3 minutes by covering the pan with a lid.
Serve the hot poha with some freshly grated coconut, coriander leaves, and fried peanuts. Squeeze some lime juice if you like.
Tips For Making Kanda Poha
- For a perfect texture in the kanda poha, use a good quality thick poha.
- Rinse the poha and strain out all the water from them. Do not soak the poha in a bowl with a lot of water or they will be very mushy.
- Cover the washed poha with a kitchen towel otherwise the poha will start drying out and taste a bit dry and hard after cooking them.
- Adding some milk in the poha while they are resting makes them super soft. Mix some salt and sugar at this point for a perfectly tasting poha. All the salt and sugar get mixed equally in the poha and tastes perfect.
- After the onions are sautéed, add some water and cook the onions further to keep the poha soft and moist for a long time.
- Gently tossing the poha with the onions is very important or poha will start breaking while cooking.
Variations
- Adding some milk is optional but the poha will turn super soft. You can use any kind of milk like almond milk, soy milk, or coconut milk for this recipe if you are following a dairy free diet.
- You can skip adding fried peanuts in the poha recipe.
- Add some other veggies like potatoes for making aloo poha or add some green peas for making matar poha.
- Skip adding the lime juice if you don’t enjoy tangy flavors in the poha.
- Garnishing the poha with cilantro and coconut is completely optional.
- Add some pomegranate arils for some crunch and sweet flavors in the poha.
- Thin sev or mixture on the top of hot poha tastes simply amazing. You can add either of it for some crunch in the poha.
How To Store Kanda Poha?
Kanda Poha tastes best when served fresh. Store the leftover poha in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4 days.
While reheating the poha sprinkle some water. Mix, cover with a lid, and heat the poha on low medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
If you are heating the poha in a microwave, sprinkle some water, cover the bowl, and reheat the poha for 30-45 seconds. Mix the poha and heat them for another 30 seconds.
How To Serve Kanda Poha?
Serve kande pohe with some gingery tea for an evening snack or breakfast.
Garnish the poha with some fried peanuts, coconut, and cilantro. Pomegranate arils will taste amazing with kanda poha as well. Sprinkle some thin sev or mixture on top for some crunch.
For making it a wholesome brunch, serve kanda poha along with aloo tikki, kothimbir vadi, matar karanji, or rava dhokla.
Add some sweet dishes in the brunch spread. Poha and jalebi taste absolutely amazing together. You can make some gulab jamun, bhopalyache gharge, or olya naralachi karanji as well.
Other Recipes With Poha:
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Recipe Card
Kanda Poha Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cup Poha thick
- 2 tbsp Peanuts red skinned
- 1 large Onion roughly chopped
- 2 Green chillies slited
- 7-8 Curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp Asafoetida/hing
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped
- 1/4 tsp Lime juice
- 2 tbsp Coconut frozen, shredded
- 1 tsp Salt or as required
- 1/4 tsp Sugar
- 2 tsp Milk *see the notes
- 2.5 tbsp Oil
Instructions
- Pass the poha through a sieve to separate most of the powder.
- Rinse the poha in running water a couple of times and strain out all the water from them.
- Set the poha aside, add 2 tsp milk, salt, sugar, and mix everything with the help of a fork. Cover the poha with a kitchen towel for 10-15 minutes.
- In a wide pan or skillet, heat some oil on medium heat.
- Lower the heat, fry the peanuts for 2-3 minutes until light brown, and crispy. Set them aside.
- In the same pan, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Next, add the cumin seeds and let them splutter.
- Lower the heat, add asafoetida, curry leaves, and green chillies.
- Transfer the chopped onions. Increase the heat to medium low and sauté the onions for 2 minutes.
- Add some turmeric powder and mix. Add 2 tbsp of water, cover the pan with a lid, and cook the onions for 2-3 minutes.
- Fluff the poha with a fork and transfer them to the pan. Genly mix the poha by lifting and dropping method. *You can use two utensils for mixing or use a wooden fork spatula.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook the poha for about 5 minutes without disturbing.
- Squeeze some lime juice, mix the poha, and cook them for 2-3 minutes by covering the pan with a lid.
- Serve the hot poha with some freshly grated coconut, coriander leaves, and fried peanuts. Squeeze some lime juice if you like.
Notes
- For a perfect texture in the kanda poha, use a good quality thick poha.
- Rinse the poha and strain out all the water from them. Do not soak the poha in a bowl with a lot of water or they will be very mushy.
- Cover the washed poha with a kitchen towel otherwise the poha will start drying out and taste a bit dry and hard after cooking them.
- Adding some milk in the poha while they are resting makes them super soft. Mix some salt and sugar at this point for a perfectly tasting poha. All the salt and sugar get mixed equally in the poha and tastes perfect.
- After the onions are sautéed, add some water and cook the onions further to keep the poha soft and moist for a long time.
- Gently tossing the poha with the onions is very important or poha will start breaking while cooking.
- Adding some milk is optional but the poha will turn super soft. You can use any kind of milk like almond milk, soy milk, or coconut milk for this recipe if you are following a dairy free diet.
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