See recipe Tomato Poha recipe. tomato poha recipe | thakkali aval | easy breakfast recipe | with 20 amazing images.

tomato poha recipe is a variation to Maharashtrian poha recipe and called as thakkali aval in South India. Looking for a quick and easy breakfast, then turn to tomato poha. Made from tomatoes, poha and a tempering of spices, this tomato poha is popular as a tiffin snack.

Poha can be thought of as our desi breakfast cereal! All over India, it is a very popular breakfast choice. Cooked it different ways, we show you a variation, tomato poha which is satiating and tasty.

Here, we show you how to make a tangy tomato poha. Make a traditional tempering of green chillies, curry leaves and mustard seeds. Then add the tomatoes and turmeric powder, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Add the washed and drained beaten rice, coriander, lemon juice, sugar and salt, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Switch off the flame, add the milk and mix thakkali aval well. Serve tomato poha hot.

It is a totally no-fuss tomato poha recipe and you can make it on any busy day. A little bit of milk is added at the end of preparation, to keep the poha moist and soft.

You can also try other breakfast options like Upma and Sprouted Moong and Methi Chila.

Is Tomato Poha healthy?

Yes for some and no for others. Made from poha, tomatoes and spices.

Let's understand the Ingredients.

What's good.

Tomatoes : Tomatoes are extremely rich source of Lycopene. Tomatoes are a powerful antioxidant, super rich in Vitamin C, good for heart. Tomatoes are a Pregnant women's friend and are rich in Folate or Folic Acid which helps your body to produce and maintain new cells, especially red blood cells. Read about 13 amazing benefits of tomatoes.   

What's the problem?

Poha ( Beaten rice) : Pros for poha. High iron count (2.67 mg in a cup) of poha. Most people prefer eating poha for breakfast. The reason behind it is its high carb count. Poha helps us accomplish nearly 5% of potassium requirement which will control blood pressure and sustain cardiac health and  further aids in controlling blood cholesterol too. Cons. Due to high carb content it is not good source  of diabetic food. With calories to add along with carbs and not much fiber, poha should logically be constrained by those who intend to lose weight. High protein, less carbs and more fiber should be the target of weight watchers. Read is poha healthy?  

Note : 1 cup = 200 ml (standard cup available in the market). The weight in grams varies for each ingredient.

Can diabetics, heart patients and over weight individuals have Tomato poha?

No for diabetics as poha does not work. Yes for cardiac as poha helps us accomplish nearly 5% of potassium requirement which will control blood pressure and sustain cardiac health and  further aids in controlling blood cholesterol too. No for weight loss. 

Can healthy individuals have Tomato poha?

Yes, but again in limited quantity as the carbs are high.

What is a healthier option to Tomato poha?

You can have broken wheat upma recipe, oats upma is a super healthy Indian breakfast upma recipe which is made from oats, vegetables and spices. What we love about healthy Indian oats upma is that its very easy to cook and the ingredients are easily available in the Indian kitchen. Suitable for diabetics, weight loss and heart also.

Broken Wheat Upma, Healthy Breakfast Recipe

8 Pointers to get healthy on a Indian diet

1. Eat healthy and say yes to good home cooked food. Prefer whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat, barley and healthy flours like bajra flour, jowar flour, quinoa flour, wheat flour etc. rather than refined ones like maida. Have healthy Indian fats like ghee, coconut, coconut oil in your diet. 

2. Opt out of junk food, packaged food, deep fried foods. Prefer steamed snacks and other non-fried snacks. Check out some Healthy Indian Snacks. Remember to eat small frequent meals through the day as that will keep you always full and prevent your blood sugar from dropping. By starving your body through some diet, will not help you one bit. In fact, dieting will make you binge on 2 to 3 meals which is not good. 

Skip having Indian junk foods like pav bhaji, bata vada, pakoras, gulab jamun as they cause your body to have insulance resistance. The resultant is your body will store more carbohydrates as fats, causing storage of fat in the stomach causing a paunch and slowing down of our fat burning process. So its a bad cyle which causes you more more hunger and fatigue every time you eat junk food. 

3. Have 4 to 5 servings of vegetables and 2 to 3 servings of fruit is a must. Follow the logic of a vegetable in each main meal of the day and a fruit in-between meals. Check out a few Healthy Indian Soups and Healthy Indian Salads  recipes using this food group.           

4. Cut down on sugar and salt in your diet and pick honey ( very small amounts) or dates to sweeten your food. Slowly cut the sugar habit as this is not going to happen over night. Sugar  is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat. This leads to diabetes and further onwards to heart attack, high blood pressure, strokes, impotence and kidney damage. 

Salt and blood pressure. Apart from stress and obesity, one of the main reasons for high blood pressure is excessive sodium and salt intake. Most people find it difficult to limit the amount of salt in their cooking, thinking it will affect the taste of their favourite dishes. 

This is not true. Bajra and jowar are rich in potassium and critical for those with High Blood Pressure as it lessens the impact of sodium. Eating more Potassium Rich Foods will remove more sodium from your body through urine. So include the basic bajra roti and jowar roti in your daily diet to have with Lower Blood Pressure Subzis Recipes. 

5. Befriend a few healthy seeds and nuts like chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts and almonds. Stress. The easiest way to kill your immune system is chronic stress. 

6.  Sprouts are called ‘living food’. They are high is most nutrients and easy to digest as well. Let them feature in your meals at least thrice a week. Also Read : All Benefits about Sprouts. 

7.  Exercise 45 minutes every day. No excuse. You can walk fast, run, do weights, play your favourite sport or go to the gym. No activity reduces muscle tissue which will lead to muscke loss and all kinds of problems with that. Workout builds immunity and keeps virus or bugs away. 

8.  Sleep early and get up early. Get your body into rhythm and it will function best. Sleep helps your body to recover and makes you look much younger. Also getting good sleep prevent muscle loss, builds immunity and keeps virus or bugs away.

One serving of Tomato poha is high in

1. Vitamin C :  Vitamin C is a great defence against coughs and colds.

2. Iron : Iron is essential in the chemical reactions that produce energy from foods. Eat more greens and garden cress seeds to prevent you from being anaemic. Here are the top 7 sources of iron rich foods. 

3. Vitamin B1 : Vitamin B1 protects nerves, helps in carbohydrate metabolism, prevents heart diseases and helps produce red blood cells. 

4. Vitamin B3 (niacin) : Vitamin B3 helps in brain functioning and mental health. Also healthy skin formation.

5. Magnesium : Magnesium is required for formation of bones and teeth. It helps in the metabolism of calcium and potassium.

6. Phosphorus : Phosphorous works closely with calcium to build bones. 

Note : a recipe is deemed high in a Vitamin or mineral if it meets 20% and above the recommended daily allowance based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

How to burn 189 calories that come from one serving of Tomato Poha?

Walking (6 kmph) = 57 mins

Running (11 kmph) = 19 mins

Cycling (30 kmph) = 25 mins       

Swimming (2 kmph) = 32 mins

Note: These values are approximate and calorie burning differs in each individual.