chura matar recipe with step by step photos – UP style recipe of chooda matar or matar poha. chura matar is an delicious and healthy evening snack which is popular and made in many homes in uttar pradesh during the winters.
during our visit in banaras, we used to have chura matar everyday in the breakfast buffet of the hotel where we were staying. two regular banarasi breakfast dishes that would be always there in the breakfast buffet were aloo poori and chura matar.
fresh green peas are available only during winters and there are some recipes that taste good with fresh green peas only like:
chura matar is made differently in both UP and bihar. in UP the making of chura matar resembles the preparation of maharashtrian kanda poha, whereas in bihar the poha is fried and is somewhat like a poha chiwda.
the taste of chura matar is very different from kanda poha or batata poha. ingredients like black pepper powder, garam masala powder and asafoetida (hing) are added which makes this dish taste very different than maharashtrian kanda poha. also no onions are added. so this recipe is a no onion no garlic version of peas poha. few more variations of poha which you may like are:
- kanda batata poha (with both onions and potatoes)
- sweet and sour indori poha (popular street food from indore city)
- poha upma recipe (made with mix vegetables)
serve chura matar drizzled with some lemon juice as an evening snack. you can also serve it as a side snack with masala chai.
chura matar recipe
ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)
- 1.5 cups thick poha OR 90 grams poha (flattened rice or parched rice)
- ½ cup fresh green peas (matar) OR 80 grams matar
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 or 2 green chilies (hari mirch) - chopped
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger (adrak)
- ½ to ⅔ cup water for cooking green peas
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder (kali mirch powder)
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- ⅓ cup chopped coriander leaves (dhania patta)
- ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 10 to 12 cashews (kaju)
how to make chura matar recipe
preparation for chura matar recipe:
take 1.5 cups thick poha (90 grams) in a strainer or colander.
rinse with fresh water twice. move the poha with your hands while rinsing.
the poha just need to get softened. so rinse gently.
making chura matar recipe:
heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan or kadai.
add 10 to 12 cashews (chopped or halved) and fry them in the oil.
fry till the cashews become golden. you can also add some raisins if you want.
remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside in a separate bowl or plate.
add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds to the same oil and let them crackle.
add 1 or 2 green chilies (chopped) and 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger.
saute till the raw aroma of ginger goes away. basically saute for some seconds.
then add the ½ cup fresh green peas (80 grams) and mix it well with the remaining ingredients.
next add ½ to ⅔ cup water for cooking green peas.
season with salt as per taste. also add ¼ teaspoon sugar. mix well.
cover the pan with its lid and cook on a medium-low to medium flame till the peas are cooked.
in between do check and give a stir. in case all the water dries up and the peas are not cooked, then add some more hot water and continue to cook the peas.
when the peas are cooked and there is some moisture in the pan, then add ½ teaspoon black pepper powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala powder and 1 pinch of asafoetida.
mix very well. then add the poha.
gently mix the poha with the rest of the mixture. cook for a minute. you can also cover the pan and cook for a minute on low flame.
then add ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice and mix it with the poha.
switch off the flame and add ⅓ cup chopped coriander leaves. mix very well.
serve chura matar hot or warm garnished with the fried cashews.
recipe notes
tips for making chooda matar recipe
- for a more spicy taste, increase the number of green chilies. also add more black pepper and garam masala powder.
- you can add more sugar if you want.
- can use thick white poha or thick red poha.
- you can add more green peas if you want.
- fresh green peas taste best, but if you cannot get fresh green peas, then used frozen green peas.
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preparation to make chura matar recipe
1. take 1.5 cups thick poha (90 grams) in a strainer or colander. rinse with fresh water twice. move the poha with your hands while rinsing. the poha just need to get softened. so rinse gently.
2. heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan or kadai. add 10 to 12 cashews (chopped or halved) and fry them in the oil.
3. fry till the cashews become golden. you can also add some raisins if you want.
4. remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside in a separate bowl or plate.
making chura matar
5. add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds to the same oil and let them crackle.
6. add 1 or 2 green chilies (chopped) and 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger.
7. saute till the raw aroma of ginger goes away. basically saute for some seconds.
8. then add the ½ cup fresh green peas (80 grams matar) and mix it well with the remaining ingredients.
9. next add ½ to ⅔ cup water for cooking matar.
10. season with salt as per taste.
11. next add ¼ teaspoon sugar. optional step and can be skipped. stir well.
12. cover the pan with its lid and cook on a medium-low to medium flame till the peas are cooked. instead of cooking peas, you can steam only the green peas separately. then just add the steamed peas. mix very well. then add poha and mix everything.
13. in between do check and give a stir. in case all the water dries up and the matar are not cooked, then add some more hot water and continue to cook the matar.
14. the water will reduce by the time the peas are cooked. there will be some moisture in the pan, which is fine. if there is too much water in the pan and the peas are cooked, then cook the mixture without a lid, so the water evaporates.
15. when the water has evaporated and there is some moisture in the pan, then add ½ teaspoon black pepper powder (kali mirch powder), ½ teaspoon garam masala powder and 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing).
16. mix very well.
17. add the poha.
18. gently mix the poha with the rest of the mixture. cook for a minute. you can also cover the pan and cook for a minute on low flame.
19. add ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice and mix it with the poha.
20. switch off the flame and add ⅓ cup chopped coriander leaves. mix very well.
21. serve chura matar hot or warm garnished with the fried cashews. drizzle some more lemon juice if you want.
can we add haldi powder in this recipe?
divya, yes you can add.
Is there any substitute for the poha? Pre-cooked rice, perhaps? I’ve never seen anything like poha here in the US.
there is no substitute for poha if the texture and taste is considered. though cooked rice can be substituted in most recipes, but the taste & texture of poha is different than cooked rice. you should be able to get poha in indian grocery stores. you will surely get it there. in english, poha is known as flattened rice or parched rice. hope this helps.