August 7, 2018 / By / 97 Comments
kanda poha, onion poha
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poha recipe with step by step photos – onion poha is easy, delicious and a popular maharashtrian breakfast recipe. i have grown up having poha for breakfast apart from idli, dosa and upma. my mom used to make poha often for breakfast or for brunch. either it used to be made with onions or potato or both with onions and potato.

poha is the maharashtrian word for flattened or beaten rice and kanda means onions. hence the term kanda poha or kanda pohe (pohe being plural of poha). other variations of this dish are:

this is a light breakfast which is easy and quick to prepare. i use both red and white poha to make kanda poha. i have updated this post with step by step pics, where the poha is made with white poha but the final pics have the poha made with red poha.

when making poha after rinsing them well,  press a grain and if it gets crushed/mashed easily then it is be soft enough to be cooked or otherwise if it is dry and does not get mashed easily then sprinkle little water over it and mix well.  i usually rinse the poha in a strainer or colander under running water and don’t soak them in water. rinsing the poha grains softens them easily.

you can also add boiled peas or grated carrot when making this onion poha recipe. i have also added grated coconut in the poha but this is optional.

kanda poha recipe below:

kanda poha recipe
4.23 from 36 votes
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poha recipe | kanda poha recipe | onion poha recipe

poha is a popular maharashtrian breakfast recipe made from red or white poha.

course breakfasts, snacks
cuisine maharashtrian
prep time 15 minutes
cook time 15 minutes
total time 30 minutes
servings 2 to 3
calories per serving 397 kcal
author dassana amit

ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)

  • 1.5 cups thick poha - red or white beaten rice or flattened rice
  • 1 large onion - finely chopped (kanda or pyaaz)
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
  • 2 or 2.5 tablespoon peanuts (moongphali)
  • 10 to 12 curry leaves (kadi patta)
  • 1 green chilli (hari mirch), chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sugar or as required
  • 1 or 1.5 tablespoon oil
  • salt as required

how to make recipe?

preparation for poha recipe:

  1. rinse the poha in water till they soften.
  2. they should loose their crunchiness and when you break them between your finger, they should easily get crushed or mashed.
  3. now add sugar, salt and turmeric powder to the poha and gently mix.
  4. dry roast the peanuts in a pan till they become crunchy.

making poha recipe:

  1. heat oil in the same pan.

  2. crackle the mustard seeds first.

  3. then add onions and saute them till they become translucent.
  4. add curry leaves and green chilies. saute for half a minute.
  5. add the roasted peanuts and stir.
  6. add the poha and stir.
  7. cover and steam the poha for 2-3 minutes on a low flame.
  8. when cooking check after 1 or 1.5 minutes and give a stir again.
  9. switch off the fire and let the kanda poha remain covered for 1-2 minutes.
  10. remove the lid and sprinkle some lemon juice, coriander leaves and grated coconut.

  11. give a gentle stir and serve kanda poha hot with tea.


how to make poha recipe:

1. rinse the poha in water till they soften.

kanda poha
2. they should loose their crunchiness and when you break them between your finger, they should easily get crushed or mashed. keep aside.

kanda poha
3. now add sugar, salt and turmeric powder to the poha and gently mix.

kanda poha
4. dry roast the peanuts in a pan till they become crunchy.

kanda poha or onion poha recipe

5. heat oil in the same pan.

kanda poha
6. crackle the mustard seeds first.

kanda poha
7. then add onions and saute them till they become translucent.

kanda poha
8. add curry leaves and green chilies.

kanda poha
9. saute for half a minute.

kanda poha

10. add the roasted peanuts and stir.

kanda poha or onion poha recipe
11. add the poha and stir.

kanda poha
12. cover and steam the poha for 2 to 3 minutes on a low flame.

kanda poha
13. when the poha is cooking check after 1 or 1.5 minutes and give a stir again. again close the pan and let it cook.

kanda poha
14. switch off the fire and let the kanda poha remain covered for 1 to 2 minutes.

kanda poha

15. remove the lid and sprinkle some lemon juice, coriander leaves and grated coconut.

kanda poha
give a gentle stir and serve kanda poha hot with tea.

kanda poha or onion poha recipe




97 thoughts on “poha recipe, how to make poha recipe | kanda poha recipe | onion poha”

  1. Nisreen

    This is a delicious and well explained recipe. Ive been making it for years now and turns out perfectly. Thank you for putting it here.

  3. Vidwan827

    Dear Dassana Ji, my wife ‘ordered me’, to make one cup of cold, wet, poha, without potatoes. (She hates potatoes…). Then she rolled over, and went back to sleep …… since it is a Sunday, and her only day of rest.
    But, it is minus 7 oC ouside, and dreary snow on the landscape, and my toes were getting frozen, so I decided to make your hot kanda kandey pohe’. I’m glad, I did, for the hot pohey felt good.
    If you will indulge me, I made a few modifications ….
    I used salted, pre-roasted peanuts, which I crushed coarsely, with a rolling pin.
    Also I put in a pinch of Aamti or sambhaar powder, ( I forget which – ) … for ‘good luck’ …..
    I also used coconut oil and a dollop of coconut paste for the ‘salutations’ to some konkani gods,
    also I put a small pinch of urad dal and jeera for part of the tadka. This is out of habit. Also I forgot to add turmeric, so the yellow color was missing, but it is so dark, here until 10 am, that I did not even notice the lack of color.
    My wife liked it, nevertheless, so I am off the hook …. until tomorrow.
    Best Seasons wishes for the Christmas, Hannukkah, KrishnaJayanti, Buddhastami, and Eid. Keep up the good work, and a good sense of humour.

    1. dassana amit

      Welcome Vidwan. Seasons greetings to you and your wife also. Glad to read your sweet and humorous comment. Good to know the variations you did to kanda poha. I hope you will be blessed with more cooking skills and will make more people laugh with your humour.

  6. Shiva

    Made Poha for the first time by seeing this simple recipe and it wasn’t that bad. Thanks a lot.

  7. Falguni Mesvaniya

    I always make poha. But my​husband complaint about texture and taste, than I tried your recipe ahd he loved it. Thank you so much for tasty recipe

  9. Dipti

    Hi Dassana,

    Thank you for all wonderful recipes. I learnt many cooking dishes from your blog. Instructions are easy to follow and recipes are just WOWW.
    I have small doubt about thick poha. I made kanda poha using thick poha. It became crunchy instead of soft. I know I did not soak it properly. Can you please help me , how to soak thick poha!

    Thanks.

    1. dassana amit

      thanks dipti. i don’t soak thick poha. i take them in a strainer or colander. then i rinse them twice or thrice in running water and gently swirl the poha flakes with hands while they are getting rinsed. this way they absorb the water and become soft but not mushy. keep them in the colander only as the excess water then drains off from it.

  14. Priyanka Gupta

    I m so in love with all ur recipes..u have turned me who was a non cooking person and who just hated cooking to a cooking lover.. thanks a lot..ur work is highly appreciated

  15. Hasita

    I came across your blog when I was looking for poha recipe. It turned out beautifully. Suffice to say I fell in love with your blog. I always turn to it for any recipe that I need. Thank you for doing such a wonderful job.

  16. SSSSSSSSSS

    These recepies save me in my in-laws as they r sooooooooooooooooo much stubborn about their taste . So these recepies save my life n make me praised from my soooooooooooo sticky in-laws

  17. SHVETA KALRA

    These receipes are amazing .Easy to cook n always get praise from my family……These are authentic…..

  19. Anjali

    I made this today and it was fantastic! I didn’t have any curry leaves this time, but I’m definitely adding them next time, because it’s just not the same without them.

    I’m Indian but was born and raised in the US. I was always intimidated by Indian cooking because of all the spices. I live far from home now and miss my mom’s Maharashtrian cooking. I’ve decided that I must learn to make her dishes myself!

    Your recipe was so easy to follow, even for me! It turned out so delicious. I took a pic of it with a cup of chai and sent it to my mom. She was so proud 🙂

  21. Rupesh

    Hi Dasana,
    Your recipes and content of making them is so good that even any slight variation to it doesnt effect the end result.I am very much thankful to you for being a guide in as I have just started cooking.

  26. fizza khan

    I just love ur recipes…its u who is responsible for transforming me into a better cook…thanks….

  28. sam

    I am from andhrapradesh. We call this dish as ” atukula pulihora”. But along with mustard seeds we also add chena dal and urad dal(small quantity).That’s the only difference.We call poha as “atukulu”. I am fan of this dish.

  31. F

    Will thin poha work for this? Or is there another recipe so I can use my thin poha? That is the only poha I have.

  32. bhagyashree

    I always open your site when looking for a recipe, even ignoring the famous chef recipes..yours are more of a regular cooking genre 🙂 I have a question- while mixing salt, sugar and haldi to washed poha, will it be bad if the grains break and get mashed?

    1. dassana amit

      thanks bhagyashree. glad to know. the poha grains should not mash. so mix very gently with your hands. otherwise if the grains are mashed then poha will become mushy or lumpy and the grains won’t be separate.

  33. Ankit Garg

    I am probably the worst cook to have ever walked the face of earth, but even I was able to cook an above average dish using this recipie.

    I wanted to do something good for my friend (he daily cooks dinner for me :-P) and decided to try my hands on making poha. The best part is that OUTPUT was rated 8/10 by the friend.

    Awesome Bro!!!!

    1. dassana amit

      thanks ankit. good to know that you manage to make good poha for your friend. it was a sweet gesture from your side to your friend. with practice you will become a good cook. keep trying more recipes.

  35. Swarnava Maitra

    I have followed the recipe perfectly, but somehow the poha does not come out the way it should, free and dry. It comes out sticky and clumpy. Am I doing anything wrong?

    1. dassana amit

      swarnava, it is because there must be some water in the poha. you don’t need to rinse the poha thoroughly. just once or twice is enough and with light hands stirring. not the way we wash rice or dal. the poha has to be handled very gently while washing and then you have to drain the water very well. otherwise if there is some water it will become sticky and clumpy. rough handling of poha while washing will break it.

        1. dassana amit

          if you drain the poha well and not rinse it too much, then mushiness won’t be there. just rinsing once or twice is enough. happy cooking for the next time.

  37. Banu H

    Loved this Poha Recipe along with easy Tips. I had a non recipe related questions. I loved your chai mug and the bowl. Can you please tell me where you got them. :))

  42. Seems

    i have tried poha by adding some veggies like cabbage, capsicum &chukandar after cutting them into small pieces and frying them for just two monikers .it is even more tasty if served with little curd over it

  49. renu

    this is aregular breakfast option these days for me.. though i make the maharashtrain style poha in white poha.. with brown i make it in south indian style wher ei add coconut… i have clicked pics yet to write the post properly..:)

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