Today, I want to share one of my favourite breakfast meals: poha. This dish represents those mornings when you crave something simple, nutritious, and satisfying. Poha is made from flattened rice and gently cooked with mustard seeds, curry leaves, turmeric, onions, vegetables, and peanuts. It is light yet surprisingly filling. Poha has historically provided sustained energy for farmers and travellers in ancient times, becoming a staple breakfast. Rich in carbohydrates, iron, and fibre, it is naturally gluten-free and light on the stomach, making it suitable for all ages and modern diets.
Poha
Across India, poha comes in many variations—mild or spicy, with potatoes, peanuts, sev, or a squeeze of lemon—but its essence remains the same. It is the kind of food shared without ceremony, eaten at railway stations, family tables, and hostel messes, binding people together through familiarity rather than extravagance.
This particular poha recipe is common in northern and western India. In Assam, in northeast India, we also use flattened rice in sweet breakfast dishes. I’ll share one of those someday.
I enjoy my poha with peas and carrots, paired with a piping hot cup of cardamom ginger milk tea on the side. That combination makes for a happy morning for me.
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| Poha with tea |
Is flattened rice commonly used in traditional dishes or everyday cooking in your home country?
I know some Indian resutaurants that serve MORNING in Gifu & Aichi style. But this is my first time to hear poha. I believe I will love it and will survey if I can enjoy this around here.
返信削除I’m glad you’re curious about it. I hope you can find a place around Gifu or Aichi that serves it—or maybe even try making it at home someday. You can buy plain poha on Amazon in Japan, but it is a bit expensive here.
削除I've never heard of poha before. When I first saw the first photo, I thought it was noodles because it looked so thin... Who knew rice could be that thin!
返信削除It looks so delicious, I thought eating this for breakfast would give me the energy to power through the day!
Tone-san, the very thin thing in the first picture is 'Sev', which is made from gram flour, which comes from ground chickpeas. It's an add-on. Look-wise, poha appears as thin, flat and flake-like. If you ever get the chance to try it, I think you’ll really enjoy its light and comforting flavour.
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