indori poha recipe with step by step pics. one of the popular street food snacks from indore is poha with jalebi. the poha which is made in indore is very different than the maharashtrian onion poha. in indori poha onions are not sautéed but added as a topping on the poha. along with onions some more ingredients are added as toppings. the taste of indori poha is khatta meetha meaning sweet and sour. fennel seeds are also added which give the poha a floral aroma and sweetish tones.
making indori poha is very easy. but do you need to have some ingredients to get the authentic taste – like jeeravan masala, masala boondi (nukti) and indori sev or ratlami sev.
jeeravan masala is spicy masala. it has a different taste altogether and cannot be compared to chaat masala or garam masala. i brought jeeravan masala online and used in the recipe. jeeravan masala can also be used for other snacks like dahi vada or punjabi samosa or batata vada or fruit salad or kachori or sandwiches or upma or potato chips or sprouts salad.
from a long time i wanted to try indori poha. i had the recipe method in my notes. i also checked a couple of youtube videos here and here. later using my own approximation (andaaz) for the ingredients i made the recipe. it was a big hit at my place and thereafter i made the indori poha recipe again a few times. another famous street food recipe from indore which i have shared is this bhutte ka kees.
indori poha has a sweet, sour and spicy taste. the textures in this dish also ranges from soft to crispy to crunchy. so in one plate you get many tastes, flavors and textures. you can also check these other poha versions like:
- kanda batata poha (with both onions and potatoes)
- batata poha (more potatoes are added in it)
- poha upma (with mixed veggies)
- chura matar (from uttar pradesh)
just as the combination of indori poha with jalebi is a popular street food in indore. in the same way fafda and jalebi combo is popular in gujarat.
if you are looking for more snacks recipes then do check:
indori poha recipe
INGREDIENTS FOR indori poha recipe
for mixing
- 2 cups thick poha
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 to 3 teaspoons sugar or add as per taste
- salt as required
other ingredients for indori poha
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 green chili - chopped
- ¼ to ⅓ cup chopped onions
- ¼ cup indori sev or add as required
- ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
- jeeravan masala as required
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils - optional
- ¼ cup masala boondi (nukti)
HOW TO MAKE indori poha recipe
preparation for indori poha recipe
- first get all the ingredients ready for indori poha.
- jeeravan masala is one of the special ingredient masala that is added in indori poha.
- if you do not have jeeravan masala then mix ¼ teaspoon coriander powder, ¼ teaspoon cumin powder, ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder, ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder, 1 pinch black salt and 1 to 2 pinches of ginger powder. use this spice mix instead of jeeravan masala.
rinsing poha
- take 2 cups thick poha in a colander or strainer.
- begin to rinse the poha in clean running water twice or thrice.
- gently mix and swirl with your hands while rinsing poha. make sure that you do not rinse it too much or else it breaks and gets mushy. while rinsing, the poha absorbs enough water and it becomes soft.
- drain the water. the poha must become soft but remain intact, whole and separate. if the poha does not become soft, sprinkle few drops of water on the poha in the strainer till they get softened.
- take the poha in a mixing bowl.
- sprinkle turmeric powder, 2 to 3 teaspoons sugar and salt as required in the poha. you can add less or more sugar as per your taste preferences.
- just lightly mix with a spoon or with clean hands.
making indori poha
- heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy kadai or pan. keep flame to low or medium-low and add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle.
- then add 1 teaspoon fennel seeds. let the fennel seeds splutter.
- add 1 green chili (chopped). stir and sauté for a few seconds.
- keep flame to low and add the poha.
- gently mix poha with the tempered ingredients till the color of poha changes to light yellow.
- cover kadai or pan with lid and on a low flame steam poha for about 1 to 2 minutes.
- after 1 to 2 minutes remove the lid and stir again. switch off the flame.
- now take the hot poha in a plate.
- top with some chopped onions and chopped coriander leaves.
- sprinkle jeeravan masala on top. you can add 1 to 2 pinches of jeeravan masala or more. jeeravan masala is spicy so add accordingly depending upon how much spicy food you like.
- add pomegranate arils.
- top with masala boondi and indori sev.
- squeeze some drops of lemon juice from top.
- assemble poha in a similar way in plates and then serve indori poha.
- serve indori poha straight away.
preparation for indori poha recipe
1. first get all the ingredients ready for indori poha. you will need 2 cups thick poha along with 1 green chili (chopped), 1 lemon, ¼ to ⅓ cup chopped onions, ¼ cup indori sev, ¼ cup masala boondi (kara boondi, nukti), ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves, jeeravan masala and ¼ cup pomegranate arils (optional).
2. jeeravan masala is one of the special ingredient masala that is added in indori poha. if you do not have jeeravan masala then mix ¼ teaspoon coriander powder, ¼ teaspoon cumin powder, ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder, ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder, 1 pinch black salt and 1 to 2 pinches of ginger powder. use this spice mix instead of jeeravan masala.
3. take the 2 cups thick poha in a colander or strainer.
4. begin to rinse the poha in clean running water.
5. gently mix and swirl with your hands while rinsing poha. make sure that you do not rinse it too much or else it breaks and gets mushy. while rinsing, the poha absorbs enough water and it becomes soft.
6. drain the water. the poha must become soft but remain intact, whole and separate. if the poha does not become soft, sprinkle few drops of water on the poha in the strainer till they get softened.
7. take the poha in a mixing bowl.
8. sprinkle ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, 2 to 3 teaspoons sugar and salt as required in the poha. you can add less or more sugar as per your taste preferences.
9. just lightly mix with a spoon or with clean hands.
making indori poha
10. heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy kadai or pan. keep flame to low or medium-low and add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle.
11. then add 1 teaspoon fennel seeds.
12. let the fennel seeds splutter.
13. add 1 green chili (chopped). at this step you can add curry leaves if you want. for small kids you can skip green chilies.
14. stir and sauté for a few seconds.
15. keep flame to low and add the poha.
16. gently mix poha with the tempered ingredients till the color of poha changes to a light yellow.
17. cover kadai or pan with lid and on a low flame steam poha for about 1 to 2 minutes.
18. after 1 to 2 minutes remove the lid and stir again. switch off the flame.
19. now take the steaming hot poha in a plate.
20. top with some chopped onions and chopped coriander leaves.
21. sprinkle jeeravan masala on top. you can add 1 to 2 pinches of jeeravan masala or more. jeeravan masala is spicy so add accordingly depending upon how much spicy food you like.
22. add pomegranate arils. you can add the quantity of toppings as per your preferences.
23. top with masala boondi or khara boondi (nukti).
24. now top with indori sev or ratlami sev. you can also use masala sev, laung sev or aloo bhujia.
25. squeeze some drops of lemon juice from top.
26. assemble poha in a similar way in plates and then serve indori poha.
27. serve indori poha straight away.
