Chura Matar | Banarasi Chooda Matar | Matar Poha

Chura Matar – a popular winter breakfast/ street food from Banaras.

Chura Matar is a healthy nourishing breakfast dish/tea-time snack made with flattened rice (poha) and fresh winter peas. Also known as Chooda matar or matar poha, it is a staple winter breakfast in Uttar Pradesh.  During winter,  when fresh peas are available, Choora matar is an ideal breakfast dish and is served in almost all the shops in the lanes of Banaras.

Chura Matar or Matar poha tastes different from Aloo/ Kanda poha which is a commonly prepared dish using poha. To make Chura matar, poha is rinsed well using water and kept aside for some time. Traditionally, rinsed poha is soaked in milk and cream for few minutes. However I have skipped that step. Fresh peas are cooked in a tempering of ghee, cumin seeds, green chillies and ginger, to which black pepper powder and garam masala is added. To the cooked peas, soaked poha is added and garnished with coriander leaves and fried cashew nuts.  Chura matar is packed with so many flavours – the sweetness from fresh peas, the spice from ginger ,green chillies, pepper and garam masala, a hint of sourness from lemon juice, nuttiness from cashews.  All these flavours and the aromatic ghee in which the peas are cooked makes it a delicious dish.

Chura Matar makes for a healthy breakfast/ tea-time snack and  is also a good tiifin box option for kids.

Step wise recipe with pictures

Rinse poha through a strainer. Drain well and keep aside.

Heat ghee in a pan. Add cashew nuts and fry till they turn golden brown. 

Keep fried cashews aside.

In the same pan, add cumin seeds,hing, chopped green chillies and chopped ginger. 

Saute for few seconds.

Add fresh green peas and mix.

Add half cup water. 

Cook covered for 5 to 8 minutes or till the peas are cooked and become soft.

Once the peas are cooked, add black pepper powder, garam masala, salt and sugar.  Mix well.

Now add poha. 

Mix gently. Let poha absorb all the flavours.

Finally add lemon juice and chopped coriander.

Add fried cashew nuts

Serve hot.

Recipe

1 ½ cup thick flattened rice (poha)
1 cup fresh green peas
10 to 12 cashew nuts
2 tbsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
2 green chillies, chopped
1 tsp chopped ginger
½ cup water
½ tsp black pepper powder
½ tsp garam masala
salt to taste
a tiny pinch of sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup chopped coriander leaves

Method

• Firstly place a large strainer over a large bowl. Add poha into the strainer. Add water and rinse the poha twice. Keep this aside.
• Heat ghee in a pan.
• Add cashew nuts and roast till they turn golden brown. Keep aside.
• To the same pan, add cumin seeds, hing, chopped green chillies and chopped ginger. Saute for few seconds.
• Now, add fresh green peas. Saute for few seconds.
• Add ½ cup water. Cover the pan and cook for 5 to 8 minutes or till the peas are cooked and turn soft.
• Now, add black pepper powder, garam masala, salt and sugar. Mix well.
• Add poha and mix gently.
• Cook on low flame and let the poha absorb all the flavours. Turn off the heat.
• Finally add lemon juice and mix well.
• Add chopped coriander and mix well.
• Add fried cashew nuts and mix.
• Serve hot.

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