Poha 12 Ways: Fried, Mashed, Roasted, In Biryani...

In our India, from north to South, east to west, poha or flattened/beaten rice, also called avalakki/aval/atukulu, has endless avatars. Bookmark your favourites!

Pic: Kind courtesy Rahul Sonawane/Pexels

Aloo Pohe Vade

Poha and alu can together have deep-fried goodness on days when we wanna overdo it! In Vishaka Rautela's preparation, poha crisps the exterior. Inside, mashed, spiced alu keeps the cutlet mulayam.

Please find the recipe here: Aloo Pohe Vade 

Pic: Vishaka Rautela fro Rediff

Crunchy Poha

You could call Hansveen Sabharwal's recipe a tiffin box poha. It has all the attributes for something once can rustle up for a lunch box: quick, wholeseome, filling. Similar to Dadpe Poha it adds a little fried peanuts, rai and onions

Please find the recipe here: Crunchy Poha

Pic: Kind courtesy Bharat Mirchandani/Wikimedia Commons

Poha Chivda

A classic all-year treat, especially at Diwali, poha roasted and mixed with nuts, dried coconut, spices, the way Divya Nair does it, is a handy snack to have around.

Please find the recipe here: Poha Chivda

Pic: Kind courtesy Sheetal Rabindran/Wikimedia Commons

Dadpe Poha

No cooking needed! And still it tastes delightful. Manisha Deshpande Kotian offers her take on the quick Maharashtrian breakfast -- dampened poha is tossed up with fresh coconut, lime, chillies, crunchy peanuts.

Please find the recipe here: Dadpe Poha

Pic: Manisha Deshpande for Rediff

Murg Poha Biryani

Yup, poha makes deadly biryani. Chef Dinesh Mhatre upgrades the rice flake, turning it into something regal, when he creates a chicken biryani using garam masala spices, potatoes, ginger-garlic paste and more.

Please find the recipe here: Murg Poha Biryani

Pic: Chef Dinesh Mhatre for Rediff

Poha With Pomegranate

It’s poha, but not as you know it... Reshma Aslam chooses to add pomegranate seed-pods or arils along with fresh coconut and peanuts in her recipe of poha

Please find the recipe here: Poha With Pomegranate

Pic: Reshma Aslam for Rediff

Soya Poha Cutlets

Vidya Subramanian mixes soybean nuggest and poha along with vegetables, onion, garlic, spices, to present a new kinda chaitime snack. Dip it in imli chutney and wolf it down.

Please find the recipe here: Soya Poha Cutlets

Pic: Vidya Subramanian for Rediff

Power Poha

What's dat? Kanchan Maslekar converts the humble condiment into a nutrient-rich breakfast that will fuel your day -- it features channa dal, soybean chunks, peanuts.

Please find the recipe here: Power Poha

Kind courtesy ampersandyslexia/Wikimedia Commons

Bajil

In coastal parts of Karnataka, poha gains a new form -- Celine D'Souza version is a spicy, sweet mix containing jaggery, onions, coconut, coconut water.

Please find the recipe here: Bajil

Pic: Kind courtesy Harikrishnan N/Wikimedia Commons

Aval Upma

Venture further South... Enter Tamil Nadu, poha becomes upma and you will be fed Aval Upma. The rice flake is given a typical South Indian tadka with urad dal, curry leaves and rai. But yes, peanuts are used too. 

Please find the recipe here: Aval Upma

Pic: Kind courtesy Ashok Kumar P S/Wikimedia Commons

Poha Vada

Bethica Das has a slightly different take on vadas. Hers make use of raw bananas, lentils. She opts for brown poha. And uses an egg too to encase the vada before frying.

Please find the recipe here: Poha Vada

Pic: Bethica Das for Rediff

Vegetable Poha Khichdi

A comforting mix of dal, sabzi, poha, Maharaj Bhanwar Singh's khichdi is wholesome, warm, and overflowing with veggies. Yum!

Please find the recipe here: Vegetable Poha Khichdi

Pic: Khandani Rajdhani for Rediff.com
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