What's better than to start your day with a light and nutritious bowl of poha! It is simple, quick and a go-to breakfast option for many of us. In fact, you will find different recipes of this dish, unique to each region (and their food culture). One such popular example is the poha recipe of Madhya Pradesh - popularly called Indori Poha. Here, flattened rice is mixed with mustard seeds, fennel seeds, lemon juice and a special spice-mix called jeeravan masala, which offers a burst of sweet and tangy flavours to our palate. This breakfast staple is traditionally served with crunchy namkeen and jalebi and also makes for a perfect evening snack among the locals.
Making Indori poha is very easy; it needs bare minimum ingredients for preparation. But what makes it different from the other poha recipes is the inclusion of special jeeravan masala. So, before we jump into the Indori Poha recipe, let's find out how to make jeeravan masala at home.
Also Read: Quick Breakfast Recipe: How To Make Maharashtrian-Style Dadpe Poha In 10 Minutes
How To Make Jeeravan Masala | Jeeravan Masala Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon cumin and coriander seeds (each)
1-2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole red chilli, black cardamom and bay leaf (each)
8-10 cloves and black pepper
1 teaspoon amchoor powder and dry-ginger powder
Salt/black salt, to taste
Turmeric powder, nutmeg powder and hing, a pinch
Method:
Step 1. Dry roast all the whole spices for fragrance.
Step 2. Take all the ingredients (written above) in a blender and grind into a dry masala.
Step 3. Pour the masala in an air-tight container and store for months in a cool and dry place.
How To Make Indori Poha | Indori Poha Recipe:
Ingredients:
Poha (flattened rice)- 2 cups
Oil- 2 tablespoons
Onion- 1 (medium sized- chopped)
Green chillies- 3-4 (chopped)
Mustard seeds- Half teaspoon
Fennel seeds- Half or 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds- Half teaspoon
Curry leaves- 6-8
Peanuts- 2 tablespoon
Turmeric powder- half teaspoon
Salt and sugar- as per taste
Jeeravan masala-1 teaspoon (or more- as per taste)
To Garnish
Lemon juice- as per taste
Freshly chopped coriander leaves- 2 teaspoon
Sev- a handful
Pomegranate seeds- a handful
Onion- 1 tablespoon (chopped)
Method:
Take the poha in a sieve and clean it in running water. Now, keep it as is to drain out the excess water. Do not over soak.
Heat a pan with some oil and roast the peanuts and keep them aside.
Pour rest of the oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds and let them crackle. Also, add the curry leaves with the spices.
Add onions and green chilli and fry them with turmeric powder, salt and sugar. Cook until the onions turn translucent in colour.
Now, add the poha and roasted peanuts to the kadhai, sprinkle some jeeravan masala, salt and sugar (if needed) and mix everything together.
Transfer it to a bowl and garnish with lemon juice, coriander leaves, sev, pomegranate pearls and onion. Also, sprinkle some jeeravan masala on the top.
Enjoy your meal!
About Somdatta SahaExplorer- this is what Somdatta likes to call herself. Be it in terms of food, people or places, all she craves for is to know the unknown. A simple aglio olio pasta or daal-chawal and a good movie can make her day.