Sweet Poha Polao for Saraswati Puja | Bengali Chirer Mishti Polao
Making sweet polao using rice flakes (চিঁড়ের মিষ্টি পোলাও) is simple and quick. On the day of Basanta Panchami Saraswati Puja, this delectable bhog recipe comes together in minutes, offering a fragrant, traditional prasadam made with flattened rice, ghee, raisins, peanuts, and khoa kheer. By Barnali Dutta | Published on January 25, 2015.
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes | Total time: 30 min
Yield: 10 servings | Calories per serving: 200 kcal
Ingredients
- Rice flakes (chire / poha): 500 g
- Green peas: 100 g
- Tiny cubed potato fries: 100 g
- Raisin: 50 g
- Salted peanuts: 50 g
- Bay leaves: 4
- Dried red chili: 4
- Minced ginger and green chili: 2 tsp
- Grated khoa kheer: 2 tsp
- Sugar and salt to taste
- Turmeric powder: a pinch
- Cracked whole spices (cardamom, cinnamon, and clove): 2 each
- Clarified butter (ghee): 2 tsp
- Sunflower oil: 1 tbsp
Instructions
- Wash rice flakes once and drain the water. Take water in a big bowl. Put the washed flakes in a colander, dip quickly into the bowl of water, then remove immediately. Keep the washed rice flakes in the colander to drain all excess water and leave to dry for 10 minutes.
- Now mix salt, sugar, turmeric and clarified butter gently with the drained rice flakes so they stay fluffy and unbroken.
- Take a pan, heat oil, add cracked whole spices, then add green peas and raisins and mix well. Add bay leaves and whole red chili. Now add peanuts and fried potatoes and mix well. Add green chili and ginger and fry a little.
- Add the seasoned flattened rice in small batches, stirring and mixing carefully over low flame.
- Now add grated khoa kheer, mix gently and turn off the fire. Leave covered for 5 minutes before offering as prasad.
This flattened rice is an ordinary man’s food item that is nutritious and keeps the stomach full for hours. Pilgrims relied on these rice flakes. Everyone liked eating healthy cuisine that did not require cooking. This “Madyam folar” of Bengalees consists of chire, seasonal fruits, sweet or sour curd, and sweetmeats for everyone, young and old, poor and old, during festivities, during recovery from illnesses, during mourning, and in puja rites.
On the eve of Kojagari Purnima in the month of Ashwin, relatives and friends in Kalviveka and Krityattvarnava had to make do with a variety of feasts made with chipitak or chira and coconut, and the entire night was spent playing chess, according to Niharranjan Roy in early Bengali history. Niharranjan Roy in his book Bengali history describes the sandesh made of chira and coconut: on the night of Lakshmi Puja, relatives used to satisfy themselves with chipitak or various kinds of sandesh prepared with chira, kheer, and coconut. There is no mention of cottage cheese or chhana.
Throughout medieval times, chide was greatly influenced by Vaishnava celebrations. On the occasion of Nityananda’s arrival at Panihati in the first half of the 16th century, Bhakta Raghunath Das’s famous Chide Mahotsav distributed large quantities of chide, curd, and bananas among devotees. A few days later chire doi was also served at the famous festival of Kheturi organized by Narottam Das. After that, it became a staple in the daily food list of devotees.
From snacks to festival fasting, it became a main food. More on that later. Many new types of food items were created under the patronage of foodie Maharaj Krishnachandra. Once, in a ceremony in the Gopa community of Krishnanagar, Nadiyaraj was appeased with fine rinds, milk, curd, and bananas. It is said that since then Maharaj’s fruit folar of chire with kheer and banana entered the list of favorites.
It is not known whether it was the king’s favorite food or not, but later Nadia’s Nabadwip-Bablari and Burdwan’s Srirampur became some of the main chire or rice flakes producing regions of West Bengal. There was a time when there was a chire mill in every alley of Nabadwip.
Khagendranath Das, the old chire mill owner of Nabadwip, said that there were about seventy to eighty chire mills in Nabadwip even in the 1980s. But now there is none. All of them are in Bablari. There were more than 40 large and small mills within a kilometer of Hemayetpur Junction on STKK Road. Now there are only about twelve or thirteen in total, said Jagannath Aich, who has been a chire trader for about forty years.
But why so? In response, Khagendrababu said, “Since the day people in the city have tasted fast food, the days of traditional food such as chire or any other have gone. No one wants to eat food like mango-cheera, curd-chire or banana-chide on hot days. The workers of the monastery temple, mills, and stone quarry are the main buyers.” But at one time in areas like Kandi and Bahra in Murshidabad, women used to collect paddy from house to house. After that, they used to pound the paddy in a dhenki and sell it.
In exchange for one bushel of rice, one poa chira was found. It was almost mandatory for everyone to eat raw chire soaked in water with a little sugar, salt, and lime juice during the hot season. Asharani Das of Bahra says, “The chire used to be thick and stayed in the stomach for a long time.”
Now, where is that taste of the machine-made rice flakes? In the Jangipur region, the business of chire is only for four months. The mill runs for a few months when new paddy grows in Kartika, then closes after that. However, in villages like Nimitita, Samsherganj, or Sagardighi, some chire is still sold in sweet shops. From Farakka to Baharampur, however, the sight of chira is rare.
If so, will the production of chire gradually stop? Chanachur companies are now the main buyers. Packet fried chiras are also very popular. As a result, a lot of chira is still produced every day, and the mills have become modern even though they have reduced in number. Earlier, if a threshing floor was too much, five quintals were threshed a day. Nowadays production of 60–70 quintals of rice in modern mills is not a problem. Traders now rely on the buyers hidden behind the chanachur industry.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you prevent chirer polao from becoming soggy?
Rinse the flattened rice quickly in a colander, dip it briefly into a water bowl, and drain immediately. Let it air-dry in the colander for 10 minutes so each grain remains separate and fluffy.
Can this sweet poha polao be offered as puja bhog?
Yes, this Sattvic preparation uses pure clarified butter (ghee), dry fruits, whole spices, and khoa kheer without onion or garlic, making it an ideal bhog for Saraswati Puja and festive occasions.
What type of chire is best for sweet polao?
Medium to thick grain rice flakes (such as indigenous Kamini Bhog chire) work best because they hold their shape during stir-frying and do not become mushy.