Puffed Rice Poha, also called Sushila is a popular Indian breakfast made from puffed rice, herbs and spices.
“Eating is not merely a material pleasure. Eating well gives a spectacular joy to life and contributes immensely to goodwill and happy companionship. It is of great importance to the morale”. -Elsa Schiaparelli
What is Puffed Rice Poha | Sushila
.
It is a popular breakfast or tea time snack throughout India with slight variations. Traditional Poha is made with flattened rice. Variations include additions of soft potatoes, green chillies, onions, coriander leaves, peanuts, pomegranate and squeezes of tart lemon juice. Poha is dairy-free, fat-free and good for heart. It is also good source of over ten essential vitamins and minerals including iron. While Poha was not a frequently made dish in my house, I started to enjoy it more often once Suraj and I got married.
My Mother in law puts a twist on the traditional recipe of Poha and uses puffed rice (commonly known as murmura) rather than flattened rice, this is called Sushila in Northern Karnataka.
HOW TO MAKE PUFFED RICE POHA
- Start by washing the puffed rice and soaking it for a few minutes.
- While waiting, sauté your chopped onions and potatoes. Once they are soft mixe in the remaining spices. As the cumin seeds start sputtering drain the puffed rice, squeezing out any excess moisture and add it to the mix, coating each morsel with flavor.
- For garnish I like it with extra squeezes of lemon juice and crunchy sev, The Husband prefers his with crunchy peanuts. Since puffed rice is quite light (especially when you don’t add water to it) it makes for a wonderful choice when you want a flavorful and filling but not overly heavy meal.
- Served with a hot cup of masala chai, I’m sure your family will love this Puffed Rice Poha!
Looking for another breakfast option? Try this Upma
- 4 cups Puffed Rice
- 1 potato; peeled into ⅓ inch cubes
- 1 cup onion; chopped
- 2 green chillies; diced
- 1/1 teaspoon haldi / turmeric powder
- 5-6 curry leaves
- ½ teaspoon mustard seed
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 tablespoon unsalted roasted peanuts (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- In a large bowl soak the puffed rice in 6-7 cups of water. Let sit for 5 minutes. Once the rice is soaked, strain it in a colendar to ensure all the excess water has been strained. Set aside.
- In a large skillet/wok, heat oil on medium heat and toast the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves, peanuts, and green chilies.
- As they start crackling, add the onions and potatoes. Sauté until the potatoes become fork tender.
- Add the turmeric, mix and add the puffed rice and salt. Mix and cover for 5-7 minutes.
- Turn heat off, let sit for another 2-3 minutes before uncovering and adding the lemon juice.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro
- *For some extra crunch and added favor, garnish with thin sev (thin crispy Indian gram flour noodles).
Enjoy!
That looks wonderful. It’s always so nice coming here.
Absolutely Favorite!
Crazy & Co.
This sounds so interesting but my question is does the puffed rice becomes a mush when soaked in water? I usually don’t soak my flat rice in water I just sprinkle water to make them moist & then cook them in onions tomatoes if more water is needed I just sprinkle on top
Hi no they do not become mushy because you only soak for about ten minutes and then squeeze out all the moisture.