Carrot Poha

A vitamin-filled start to the day with carrot poha: flattened rice cooked crisp with grated carrot and pepper.

You Need:

• Poha/chiwra (flattened rice) – 1 cup
• Onions – 3 medium
• Carrots – 3
• Green chili – 1
• Black pepper corns – 15
• Coriander leaves – 1 small bunch
• Salt – to taste
• Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Oil – 1 tablespoon

How To Make Carrot Poha:

Wash chiwra in several changes of water till the water runs clear.

The technique/timing for washing chiwra depends on the variety of chiwra you’re using. Some varieties turn to mush in the blink of an eye and must be washed and drained really quickly just before being cooked. Other sturdier varieties, like the kind I use, need a few minutes of standing time after being washed and drained.

Peel and chop onions finely.

Mince green chili. Coarsely grind black pepper corns.

Scrape and grate carrots. Chop coriander leaves.

In a non-stick pan, heat a tablespoon of oil. Add cumin seeds and when they splutter, add chopped onions and coarsely ground pepper. Cook on medium-high heat till onions turn translucent.

Add grated carrots and minced green chili. Continue to cook on medium-high heat, stirring regularly.

When the carrots are no longer raw, add chiwra and salt. Stir well and cook on low heat, stirring every other minute. After 10 minutes, add chopped coriander leaves. Continue to cook carrot poha on low heat for another 5-10 minutes, till the chiwra grains turn slightly crisp.

Serve hot. Carrot poha is great for breakfast or as an evening snack with tea.

Notes:

Want to try some other recipes using chiwra? Check out the chiwra recipe gallery on The Steaming Pot. If it’s the carrots that interest you, try a range of tastes: a raw and sweet orange carrot juice, a savory aloo gajar ki sabzi, or a spicy jhatpat achari gajar