You need to forget the calorie count sometimes, especially when Durga Puja is knocking at the door.

What should I make for today’s breakfast? Like every other day when this question was haunting me this morning, suddenly a picture from the good old days flashed up in front of my eyes, how we used to have Chire Bhaja (Poha is Chire in Bengali) ) as a whole family sitting together back home. The deep-fried version with coconut, I was thinking about. I asked my husband, would you like to have chire bhaja on breakfast? He nodded and smiled.

I ran towards the kitchen. Quickly arranged the ingredients, and started frying the poha. Flower petals like, but crisp, hollow, poha. I couldn’t remember when was the last time I had this, maybe 10 years back or more. My mom would cook this occasionally, as this version of chire bhaja is deep-fried. But among the other versions of Chire Bhaja, this tastes best. It’s a typical Bengali style breakfast or perfect for evening snacking option. My father and my uncles have grown up eating this. Granny used to fry this in a large amount almost every day. And all her boys, including my father, would enjoy their tiffin with freshly grated coconut, followed by a good addition of sugar. No one was calorie-conscious, in those days people loved to eat real food, that’s all.

If you didn’t try fried Poha this way, try this recipe, you’ll love it! 🙂

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Narkel die Chire Bhaja /Deep-fried Poha with grated Coconut

Narkel die Chire bhaja (Deep-fried Poha with grated Coconut) is a popular Bengali snack. Fried Poha served with freshly grated coconut, makes it a great tea-time snack or can be eaten as breakfast.

Cuisine Indian

Keyword gluten-free

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 3 People

Author Chandrima

Ingredients

• 1½ cups- Poha/Chire/Rice flakes
• Half of one medium-sized coconut- Fresh grated coconut
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Sugar to taste

Instructions

1. Heat 1 cup of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan/kadai. Start frying by adding poha in small quantity over medium heat, not more than 2 tbsp at a time. They will be puffed up within a few seconds, remove them quickly with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Fry all the poha like this.

2. Now divide the fried poha into bowls. Top with a generous amount of grated coconut, sprinkle some sugar (add 1 tsp sugar for each individual, or you can adjust according to the taste). Mix well and serve immediately.