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Phodnichi poli is an easy breakfast recipe made with leftover poli / phulka (Indian flatbread) that is tempered with aromatic spices and herbs.
This is a quick, easy and simple recipe perfect for beginners & bachelors. This is a vegan, plant-based recipe.
Here Phodni refers to “the tempering” and Poli means “Roti (Flatbread made from whole wheat)“. This dish is called by several names such as kuskura, tadka roti, masala roti, policha chivda.
About Phodnichi Poli (Tadka Roti)
Phodnichi Poli means tempered roti which is made using leftover chapati / roti that is tossed in spices along with onions.
This is a simple and easy recipe made almost in every Maharashtrian household especially when we end up making extra poli / chapati the previous day.
This phodnichi poli can be had for breakfast, as a snack or as a one-pot meal for lunch & dinner.
This recipe is perfect for beginners & bachelors. It hardly requires any fancy ingredients, the main one being plain leftover roti.
There is no hard and fast rule that you need to make this recipe with leftover roti. You can also make this recipe with fresh roti / poli / phulka as well. You can even make this dish using leftover bhakri or any flatbread of your choice.
I love doing leftover makeovers. Earlier also I shared simple recipes for leftover bread – Bread upma (Savoury bread bites) & leftover rice – Phodnicha bhat (Garlicky tempered rice). Do check them out if interested.
With absolutely minimum ingredients that are easily available at your home, this dish made from leftover roti / poli is instantly transformed to the next level with its taste, color and flavour.
This phodnichi poli can also be packed for kid’s lunch Box. It’s filling and healthy at the same time.
Phodnichi poli is typically prepared in every Maharashtrian household. Best accompanied with hot cup of adrak chai (ginger tea).
The recipe that I have shared today is the most basic one which is made often in our home. I personally love to have this phodnichi poli for light lunch or dinner instead of breakfast.
On days when I crave something delicious and comforting food but in no mood to cook an elaborate meal, this is the dish that comes to My rescue.
Recipe Video
What is Phodnichi Poli?
Phodnichi poli is a breakfast recipe made mostly in the state of Maharashtra. This is a vegan, vegetarian, diabetic-friendly, beginner-friendly recipe. Poli means chapati which is a staple Indian flatbread.
Poli, also called chapati/roti, is a Maharashtrian term given to flatbread consumed daily in an Indian household.
These flatbreads, are served with curries and dals and are mostly made in extra quantities as it’s difficult to estimate the number of roti one could consume.
Hence very often you will find leftover poli / roti in most households which never gets eaten the next day as they tend to get dry.
This is when making phodnichi poli comes in handy.
Serving Suggestions
Phodnichi poli is a one-pot meal in itself. You can serve this phodnichi poli as it is or even with a pickle. This is best accompanied by tea or coffee.
Ingredients
Poli / Chapati / Roti: To make this phodnichi poli it’s best to use leftover poli/chapati. But there is no hard and fast rule. You can even make this recipe using fresh chapati.
Vegetables: I use only finely chopped onions but sometimes once in a while I do add small finely chopped deseeded tomatoes as well. If you want to make it more nutritional you may also use peas or finely chopped greens, especially for children.
Herbs & Spices: For making phodnichi poli you don’t require any fancy herbs or spices.
To give this dish a hint of spice you can add green chilles or red chilli powder. I add both as the taste from green chillies imparts a nice flavour to this dish and a hint of red chilli gives a beautiful colour to this phodnichi poli.
For tadka, we need turmeric powder and hing (asafoetida) along with mustard and cumin seeds. The addition of kadipatta (curry leaves) imparts a wonderful flavour to this dish. Try not to skip curry leaves in making this recipe.
Coconut: I use freshly scrapped coconut in this recipe to give the leftover poli some moisture. Adding coconut does enhance the flavour but it’s totally optional. If you like or have coconut you can add it or simply avoid it.
Seasoning: To season this phodnichi poli I have used a teaspoon of sugar and salt. Sugar helps balance the taste of the dish. I would highly recommend you to add a teaspoon of sugar to this recipe, adding a teaspoon of sugar will not make this recipe sweet. It’s just to balance the flavours.
Oil: We will require 2 tablespoons of oil for this dish. You can use any vegetable oil. I personally like to use sunflower oil.
Water: As we are using leftover poli/chapati/roti, we need to sprinkle a fist full of water to make the poli moist. Hence a little bit of water is required.
Garnish: To garnish phodnichi poli we will need finely chopped coriander leaves and scraped or grated coconut. Again coconut is optional. If you like you may also garnish this with roasted peanuts.
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How to make Phodnichi Poli
To make phodnichi poli, we need to roughly grind the poli/chapati/roti in a blender or you can even tare the poli with your hands.
- Roughly tare the leftover chapati/roti into pieces and add them to the blender.
- Using pulse mode grind them to small bite-size pieces as shown below. Do not make powder of it.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and let them crackle. Now add cumin seeds and let them sizzle for one minute.
- Add 1/4th teaspoon hing (asafoetida), curry leaves and finely chopped green chillies.
- Add finely chopped onions.
- Cook onions till they are translucent. Keep the flame low to medium.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder and mix well.
- Once the onions are cooked, add the ground poli/chapati/roti . At this point keep the flame low. Mix the chapati well with the onion mixture.
- Add salt, sugar, and 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, and mix well till masala is nicely incorporated into the chapati mixture. Check seasoning at this time.
Note: If you add salt to your poli/chapati/roti make sure to add salt accordingly in making phodnichi poli.
- Sprinkle a feastful of water over the poli / roti mixture.
- Cover the pan with a lid and let the poli/roti get nice steam for about 5-7 minutes on low flame so that the poli softens up.
- Stir occasionally to avoid the mixture sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Lastly, add freshly chopped coriander leaves and a tablespoon of coconut(optional).
- Maharashtrian Style Phodnichi Poli is ready.
- Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.
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Recipe Card
Phodnichi Poli (Maharashtrian Recipe Made From Leftover Poli / Roti)
Ingredients
- 4-6 nos Poli / Chapati / Roti
- 1 nos Onion
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
- 3 nos Green Chillies
- 7-8 nos Curry Leaves
- 1/4th tsp Hing (asafoetida)
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 2 tbsp Fresh Coconut
- Salt to taste
- Coriander Leaves for garnsih
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 1/4th cup Water
Instructions
- Roughly tare the leftover chapati/roti into pieces and add them to the blender. Using pulse mode grind them to small bite-size pieces as shown below. Do not make powder of it.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and let them crackle. Now add cumin seeds and let them sizzle for one minute.
- Add 1/4th teaspoon hing (asafoetida) and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder.
- Add greed chillies, curry leaves and finely chopped onions. Cook onions till they are translucent. Keep the flame low to medium.
- Once the onions are cooked add the ground poli/chapati/roti . At this point keep the flame low. Mix the chapati well with the onion mixture.
- Add salt and sugar, and mix well till masala is nicely incorporated into the chapati mixture. Check seasoning at this time.
- Cover the pan with a lid and let the poli/roti get nice steam for about 5-7 minutes on low flame so that the poli softens up.
- Stir occasionally to avoid the mixture sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Lastly add freshly chopped coriander leaves and a tablespoon of coconut(optional).
- Maharashtrian Style Phodnichi Poli is ready.
- Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.
Lovely recipe