Beaten yogurt mixed with soaked poha (flattened rice), sweetened and topped with nuts and fruits. A rustic cereal breakfast from eastern parts of India.
I did not grown up eating this. Dahi poha or choora was introduced to us by one of our neighbors from the state of Bihar. North indian breakfasts are different and are more wheat based be it a warm bowl of dalia (wheat groats) in warm milk or stuffed parathas (flatbreads).
There is something comforting about (hot or cold) cereals in the mornings. A night before, I try to prepare steel cut oats or buckwheat/millet groats for next morning. It gets so easy to start the day with right kind of grains. That wholesome boost at the start of day is much needed especially when you have a toddler to chase whole day. The other day,I was chatting with mom about choices of wholesome breakfast for my daughter and she reminded of this quick & easy choora (flattened rice) with dahi (yogurt) as an option. It seemed very doable and knowing little A,s love for yogurt, I made a big bowl with mashed mango for her. I could barely describe the mess she created with mangoes but looks like it hit the right spot with her.
Beaten or flattened rice (poha) which is very popular all over India and is used in making trail mixes, lightly tempered pilafs for breakfasts and for desserts too.This recipe comes from the state of Bihar where they start the day with a big bowl of it.
If you ask me there is hardly any recipe. You soak the poha in milk and mix with beaten yogurt . There are no measurements needed since you put together your bowl the way you like. The only catch is using the right kind of flattened rice since there is no cooking involved. There are quite a few varieties available in the stores, just buy the thin variety. Sprinkle your yogurt bowl with any kind of fruits, nuts or toppings you like and sweeten with just about anything. I like mashed or cut up mango with cardamom, topped with chia seeds and some roasted seeds and dried fruits.
Hope you enjoy this naturally gluten-free, fuss free and most of all a no cook breakfast which has the right amount of carbohydrates and proteins for you!!
Ingredients (Serves 2)
- 1 medium ripe mango (or any fruit of choice)
- 1/2 cup poha (thinflattened rice)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1.5 cup whole milk greek yogurt, whisked
- 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
- 1-2 tbsp coconut sugar (or any sweetener of choice to taste)
- Nuts, Seeds, dried fruits etc of choice
Method
Peel the mango and puree it in a food processor. Or you can chop it.Set aside.
Mix the greek yogurt with cardamom powder.Set aside.
Place the flattened rice in a bowl and cover it in milk. Let sit and soak for 15 minutes. Don’t use to much of milk or soak for long else the poha will get very mushy. Fluff up and loosen grains gently with fork.
In a bowl, place half of the yogurt and put the soaked flattened rice over it.Sprinkle with coconut sugar (or any sweetener you are using). Top it with rest of the yogurt, mango puree and seeds/nuts of choice.
Alternatively, you could layer the yogurt and poha in a mason jar/tumbler. Serve immediately.
Notes –
- Just play around with the quantities of yogurt & poha to get the consistency you like.
- Use thick coconut milk or dairy free yogurt for a vegan version of this recipe.
- Do not stir the yogurt too much once you have added the flattened rice.
Enjoy & Thanks for stopping by!
That is something I still have to try… A delicious looking treat.
Cheers,
Rosa
I will also try this, it looks just gorgeous and healthy too.
A nice, gluten free alternative to porridge or overnight oats. Mum soaks poha then tosses it with jaggery and coconut sometimes for breakfast but this looks healthier and more filling.
Beautiful photos……
I bet it will taste better with jaggery,nicely sweet & smoky. Yum!
thanks 🙂
Once again Tanvi you have blown me away with your wonderful recipe and photographs! I have a little request for you- do you think you can do a post on Dalia? My khala used to make amazing Dalia when I was a child and I’ve never been able to recreate it. I would love to have some sort of direction in regards to its preparation. I’ve got a large bottle of it sorting in my cupboard just begging to be consumed 🙂
Thank you 🙂 I am not sure if you have checked this recipe – https://sinfullyspicy.com/2013/09/09/namkeen-daliya-savory-breakfast-oatmeal/ . You can used dalia instead of oats. I will try to do sweet dalia sometime.
Looks totally delicious – beautiful pics.
Looks absolutely delicious and tempting.. lovely pictures too!!
So healthy and so tempting. I can’t wait to make this
im not a big fan of choora but Nepali people are crazy about it too..i like the versatility of it, it goes well with yogurt, curries, or even as a savory trail mix 🙂 In Nepal there is a special day designated to eat choora and dahi and also common to feed it to pregnant women as it brings good luck 🙂
Thats some nice info, thanks! One of our neighbors from Bihar shared it with us and since that we embraced it in our house. I didn’t know abt the Nepal connection!
Wow!
This looks amazing! Would love to try this.
Your photos are simply gorgeous!!
Looks healthy and light, I love yogurt and this is a unique take on the typical parfait, will definitely be drying once I find the flat rice!
loved loved your pics. much like choora, we would have the poha with some sliced banana, milk or coconut milk sweetened with jaggery and flavored with cardamom powder. this variation is also superb with the mangoes.
So healthy and love the light in this styling 🙂
I will follow u….tc…excellent recipes
Delighted to find a post on dahi choora, something I eat often for breakfast. That’s some serious visual talent, by the way – not easy to make the homely dish look this glamorous 🙂