Poha Balls | Poha Fritters | Poha Cutlets (Pressed Rice Balls)

“Poha Balls” are easy to make snack recipe and you can make it in minutes. For this recipe, I used Poha and added some grated carrots and potatoes for binding. The result came out to be very good and these Poha balls or cutlets were crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. I added carrots which gave the bite to dish and also because I want my kids to eat carrots . ;)

Serves: 3-4 (makes 14 pieces)

Preparation time: 8-10 mins.

Cooking time: 15-20 mins.

Ingredients:

2 cups poha(pressed rice)

1 medium sized carrot (washed and grated)

1 large potato (boiled,peeled and grated)

1 medium sized onion (finely chopped)

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

2 green chili (finely chopped)

Few coriander leaves (finely chopped)

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon chaat masala

1 tablespoon lemon juice

salt as required

Oil for deep frying

Directions:

1. Wash the pressed rice and keep aside.
2. In a pan/kadai, heat 1 tablespoon of oil, add in mustard seeds and as they splutter, add in onions, green chilies. Saute until translucent.
3. Now, add in turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Stir in pressed rice or poha and mix well to combine. Let cool.
4. In a large mixing bowl, add the grated carrots and potatoes.
5. Now add the cooked poha and chaat masala and lemon juice. Mix well to distribute everything evenly.
6. Now, start making round balls of mixture by taking a scoop of mixture in your hands and pressing in your palms. This will make 12-14 balls as per the size of balls you like to make.
7. Heat oil to deep fry in a kadai/pan. Once hot, drop in the poha balls and fry until they turn golden brown from all sides. Drain on absorbent paper.
8. Serve hot with evening tea or as a party appetizer with green chutney.

Tips:

• You can make poha balls and refrigerate for 15 minutes. This will make them firm and won’t break apart while frying.
• Add more potatoes if you still find the balls breaking while frying.
• Serve immediately as they tend to get soggy and loose crispiness after some time.

If you like this recipe, you might also want to try Rice fritters recipe made by leftover rice.