Chura matar - UP style recipe of chooda matar or matar poha. Chooda matar is a popular evening snack.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Breakfast, Snacks
  • Cuisine: North Indian, Uttar Pradesh

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups thick poha (or 90 grams poha (flattened rice or parched rice))
  • ½ cup fresh green peas ((matar) or 80 grams matar)
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds ((jeera))
  • 1 or 2 green chilies ((hari mirch) - chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger ((adrak))
  • ½ to ⅔ cup water (for cooking green peas)
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper powder ((kali mirch powder))
  • ½ teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing))
  • ⅓ cup chopped coriander leaves ((dhania patta))
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 10 to 12 cashews ((kaju))

Method

Preparation for chura matar

  1. Take 1.5 cups thick poha (90 grams) in a strainer or colander.
  2. Rinse with fresh water twice. Move the poha with your hands while rinsing.
  3. The poha just need to get softened. So rinse gently.

Making chura matar

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan or kadai. You can use any neutral flavored oil.
  2. Add 10 to 12 cashews (chopped or halved) and fry them in the oil.
  3. Fry till the cashews become golden. You can also add some raisins if you want.
  4. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside in a separate bowl or plate.
  5. Add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds to the same oil and let them crackle on low heat.
  6. Add 1 or 2 green chilies (chopped) and 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger.
  7. Saute till the raw aroma of ginger goes away. Basically saute for some seconds.
  8. Then add the ½ cup fresh green peas (80 grams) and mix it well with the remaining ingredients.
  9. Next add ½ to ⅔ cup water for cooking green peas.
  10. Season with salt as per taste. Also add ¼ teaspoon sugar. Stir and mix well.
  11. Cover the pan with its lid and cook on a medium-low to medium flame till the peas are cooked.
  12. In between do check and give a stir. In case all the water dries up and the peas are not cooked, then add some more hot water and continue to cook the peas.
  13. When the peas are cooked and there is some moisture in the pan, then add ½ teaspoon black pepper powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala powder and 1 pinch of asafoetida.
  14. Stir and mix very well. Then add the poha.
  15. Gently mix the poha with the rest of the mixture. Cook for a minute. You can also cover the pan and cook for a minute on low flame.
  16. Then add ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice and mix it with the poha.
  17. Switch off the heat and add ⅓ cup chopped coriander leaves. Mix very well.
  18. Serve chura matar hot or warm garnished with the fried cashews.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.