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Quick And Easy Poha Recipe

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Poha is a delicious and easy Indian breakfast. We’ve made this yummy breakfast recipe even easier and faster by preparing it right in your Instant Pot. Your family will love this hearty rice based dish. You’ll love it too because you can feel good knowing you served them a nutritious breakfast that gets the day started off right. 

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kanda poha - Aloo kanda poha, poha recipe

This recipe was originally published in Oct 2016 and has been update to include Instant pot instructions, videos and pictures.

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What is Poha?

Poha or Pohe translates into English as “flattened rice” or “crushed rice” and is an easy breakfast or quick snack in many parts of India. The dish brims with hearty, healthy ingredients and is generally considered a very healthy breakfast choice in India.

Instant Pot Kanda Pohe Video Recipe 

What do you need for Poha?

Poha doesn’t need a lot of ingredients to make it taste delicious. It is primarily made using thick poha. You will also need an onion, peanuts, and a potato to make the base of the meal. 

For flavor, you’ll need:

  • sugar
  • salt lemon
  • oil
  • mustard seeds
  • green thai chilies
  • curry leaves
  • turmeric powder

If you want, you can also add carrots, peas, and cabbage to the recipe for additional veggies.

kanda poha - Aloo kanda poha, poha recipe

Why Make Poha in the Instant Pot

The Instant Pot cuts down on the cook time of this  breakfast recipe and delivers consistent, yummy results each and every time you make make it!

New to the Instant Pot and nervous about how to use it? We've got you covered. Check out our beginner's guide to the Instant Pot, called Is the Instant Pot Worth It? It'll break down everything you need to know and get you pressure cooking like a pro in no time at all.

How to make Kanda Poha?

Start by washing or rinsing the poha in a bowl of cold water. Drain the pohe and then sprinkle salt, sugar, and lemon juice on top. Mix it all together and set it aside for at least 7 to 10 minutes.

step by step Kanda poha recipe

While it rests, turn your Instant Pot onto Saute mode and add in the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, add the raw peanuts and roast for 2 to 3 minutes and remove them. They should start to turn darker brown. If you are using roast peanuts, you can skip this step.

Add in the mustard seeds and let them cook until they start to splutter. Add in the curry leaves, onions, and Thai green chilies and saute for 1 minute. Next, add in the potato cubes and water. Cancel the saute mode as soon as you add the potato cubes.

step by step Kanda poha recipe

Place the Instant Pot lid on, close it, and set the valve to sealing. Set the Instant Pot to high pressure cook for 1 minute. Once the timer goes off, do an immediate quick release of pressure. 

Carefully open the lid to the Instant Pot. If there is  some liquid left, use the saute mode for a few minutes until most of it has evaporated. Add in the turmeric powder and give it a stir  add the   poha and mix it all together well. Then sprinkle in the cilantro and roasted peanuts.Switch off the instant pot and  cover with the glass lid for the Instant Pot and let it rest for 10 minutes. 

step by step Kanda poha recipe

Finally when serving, garnish it with peanuts and chopped cilantro. Serve it warm with sev and lemon slices and enjoy!

Pro Tips

  • Always use thicker poha to avoid a mushy breakfast
  • Make sure you rinse but don’t over rinse the poha. One to two times is enough and then set aside, covered, until the tempering is ready. You can check their moisture level by pushing them a bit. If they break easily, they are ready. If not, then add some water.
  • Top with peanuts, finely chopped onions, lemon juice, cilantro, and sev
  • Add peas, carrots, or cabbage if you are looking for more veggies

kanda poha - Aloo kanda poha, poha recipe

Why did my Poha turn out dry?

If it came out dry, chances are you didn’t rinse them well enough or use enough water. You can fix this by placing the poha in a pan, sprinkling with some water, covering the pan, and heating it over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

How can I make dry Poha edible?

If it dries out after storing it or if it is not as moist as you would like, you can re-moisturize them. Add no more than a teaspoon of water over top, cover them, and heat them in a pan over low heat for about 2 to 3 minutes. They should become moist again.

kanda poha recipe

What type of Poha should I use for making Kanda Poha?

Wide or thick poha works best for kanda poha. Thinner poha are not as good for making breakfast poha because they become mushy when you rinse and cook them. 

Can I add other veggies to the Poha

Yes, you can add other veggies like:

  • peas 
  • diced carrots 
  • Finely chopped cauliflower.

You can add other vegetables if you want to. A lot of it comes down to personal preference, but you can add as many vegetables as you want to.

 

How do I store left over Poha?

To store, let it cool before storing. Once it has cooled, scoop it into a large, air tight container, sealable bag, or individual, airtight containers for an even faster mid-week breakfast or snack. It will keep in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. When you are ready to eat it again, warm through in a microwave.

What toppings can I use for Poha?

We use roasted peanuts, sev, raw onions, lemon juice, and cilantro as our garnishment. Farsan and grated coconut are other popular options.

kanda poha

What can I serve Poha with?

You can serve a lot of different foods with poha. You could try it with our Homemade Instant Khaman Dhokla. Another good pairing is with our Vegan Vermicelli Bowl recipe. Another popular breakfast you can pair poha with is our Instant Pot Idli Sambad recipe. Or you could make them all if you are feeding a large family or having a get together.

If you make this  recipe, don’t forget to come back and leave your feedback and star rating. We would be THRILLED if you would take a pic and tag us on Instagram @dbellyrulesdmind or Facebook @thebellyrulesthemind 

kanda poha - Aloo kanda poha, poha recipe

Poha Recipe- Kanda Aloo Poha

Yield: 4-6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 minute
Additional Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 21 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 cup Thick poha
  • 1/2 cup peanuts (Roasted)
  • 1 potato / peeled and cut into bite size pieces
  • 1 onion /chopped finely
  • 1/2 tsp sugar 
  • 1 tsp salt or to taste
  • 1/2 lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 2 to 3 green thai chilies
  • 6 to 7 curry leaves
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro leaves

Instructions

    Instructions

    Wash the poha in a cold water and drain the water and set aside for at least 7-10 minutes

    Turn on the saute mode in your IP and add the oil. When hot, add the  raw peanuts and roast it for few time and remove it  . (you can skip this step if you already have roasted peanuts).  

    Add the mustard seeds  and when it splutter, add the onions, green chilies and saute for a minute add in the chopped  potatoes  , water and switch off the saute mode immediately. 

    Close the lid and cook on manual high for 1 minutes .

    When done release pressure immediately.Then add the washed and drained poha. Mix and close the lid again and let it rest for 10 minutes or more. (Do not switch on keep warm mode) The poha will get cooked in the retained heat. After 10 minutes, open the lid . Garnish with  peanuts  and chopped cilantro  . Serve the poha  with some spicy sev and lemons slices

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Did you make recipe? don’t forget to come back and leave your feedback and star rating.

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Angela

Friday 24th of July 2020

The instant pot is such a great kitchen tool. Wonderful for this recipe

Tawnie Kroll

Friday 24th of July 2020

So flavorful and loved using the Instant Pot for this recipe!

Toni Dash

Friday 24th of July 2020

I'm glad I tried this!! It is so good!

Pam Greer

Friday 24th of July 2020

I love using the Instant pot for a healthy and nutritious breakfast like this!! So easy and so good!

Dannii

Friday 24th of July 2020

I have never heard of this before, but it looks so vibrant and delicious.

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