Indori Poha Recipe | Famous Street Style Breakfast Recipe

Follow our quick, easy, and best Indori Poha recipe and learn how to make Indori poha at home

The town of Indore in the Malwa region in Madhya Pradesh is renowned for its street food and snacks and is a favourite destination of foodies.

One of Indore’s signature dishes is Indori poha, a delicious and light breakfast staple with a devoted fan following. Our Indori poha recipe results in a khatta meetha (tangy–sour and sweet) dish made of poha (flattened or beaten rice, rice flakes), seasoned with an array of special spices and aromatics, and garnished with a range of toppings that take the humble poha to new and incredible culinary heights.
 

Poha is cooked in a hundred different ways across India, but the Indori poha recipe is unique. In fact, so unique that an organization from Indore is now seeking a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Indori Poha.

Indori poha’s distinctive taste and irresistible allure owe much to the use of fennel seed (saunf), which adds a sweet taste and floral aroma, along with the spice combination used – cumin seeds, turmeric, Kashmiri red chilli powder, and ginger, amongst others. While some like to use store-bought jeeravan masala, we use its ingredients within our Indori Poha recipe, so everything is made fresh at home.
 

Indoris love their namkeen like sev (spicy gram flour noodles), such as Indori sev, Ratlami sev, masala sev, laung sev (which we have used in our Indori Poha recipe), masala boondi or khara boondi (nukti), and charkhi nukti. (Charkhi nukti is savoury boondi—tiny, crispy, deep-fried balls of chickpea batter seasoned with salt and red chili powder.) All of these namkeens can be used as toppings in an Indori poha recipe.
 

Indori poha is a big hit in nearby cities like Ujjain, Dewas, Sagar, Dhar, Ratlam, and Bhopal. It’s also very popular in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.

Indeed, as mentioned above, namkeen manufacturers and sellers are seeking a GI tag for Indori poha, as well as for three other well-known dishes of Malwa: doodh se bani shikanji (milk-based sweet drink), laung sev (a clove-flavoured snack – which is used as a topping in our Indori Poha recipe), and khatta meetha namkeen (sweet and sour dry snack).
 

Indori poha is very different from, say, Maharashtrian onion poha. In Indori poha, onions are not only sautéed, but also added raw as a topping.

Indori poha and jalebi make a classic combination in Indore and is widely served by vendors in the morning. It’s also a popular evening snack. Poha–jalebi is also popular in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, just as the fafda–jalebi combination is much loved in Gujarat.
 

Whether eaten on its own or teamed with jalebi, Indori poha is always delicious—light, fluffy, crunchy, sweet, sour, spicy, and tangy. 

Follow our simple, easy, and authentic Indori poha recipe below.
 

Tips on how to make Indori Poha:

For best results, do not oversoak the poha when washing or rinsing it. Otherwise, will become mushy. The poha should be soft but whole and separate. Also, use medium or thick poha for this dish (try and source poha from Indore). It absorbs less water and does not get soggy.
 

Our Indori poha recipe is simple with quick cooking and easy assembly of all the ingredients, toppings, and garnishing for maximum colour, taste, crunch, and texture.

For an authentic Indori poha, add toppings like spicy sev (laung sev, teekha sev, masala sev, Indori sev), chopped onions, pomegranate arils, and chopped fresh coriander leaves. Toasted peanuts, grated coconut, grated carrot, and chopped tomatoes are other options though we don’t feel the need to add them.
 

Serve Indori poha immediately, with a squeeze of lime juice.

Have Indori poha with masala tea, coffee, and assorted fresh fruit for a delicious weekend breakfast.
 

Find the best Indori Poha recipe video with a step by step cooking method and all ingredients here from Yummefy recipes. Learn how to make Indori Poha at home - the most popular street food in Indore - right in your kitchen.

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