Forget expensive superfoods that are out of your budget. Two of the most useful foods in Indian kitchen are already making global sensation.

If you're trying to eat healthier, you don't necessarily need quinoa, imported berries, expensive protein bars, or complicated meal plans.

 

Sometimes, the answer is much simpler: You should think about puffed rice (muri/murmura in regional Indian names) and flattened rice (poha/chira/chivda).

 

They're humble, inexpensive and more than familiar in India. And they've been part of Indian food traditions for generations.

An important catch is that puffed rice and flattened rice aren't complete meals by themselves. They're primarily cereal-based carbohydrate foods. Their real nutritional value comes from how you build the meal around them; adding vegetables, pulses, sprouts, nuts, seeds, curd, eggs, or other protein-rich foods.

So let's take these two everyday foods out of the “cheap snack” category and look at what they can actually do for your diet.

Why puffed rice and flattened rice could be your budget-friendly, heart-healthy meals?

Walk into almost any Indian grocery store and you'll find them.

Muri. Murmura. Pori. Poha. Chira. Chuda. Aval. The names change depending on the region, but the basic foods remain surprisingly simple.

Puffed rice is rice that has been processed so the grain expands into a light, airy texture.

Flattened rice is rice that has been processed and pressed into thin flakes.

 

The Indian Food Composition Tables published by the National Institute of Nutrition identify puffed rice as “Rice, puffed” and flattened rice as “Rice, flakes,” with regional names including Muri, Murmure, Chira, Poha, Avalakki and others.

 

Their simplicity is actually their biggest advantage. You can make them sweet or savory. Hot or cold. Crunchy or soft. Traditional or completely modern.

And because they're relatively quick to prepare, they're especially useful when you don't have an hour to cook breakfast.

What to know about puffed rice or murmura?

Puffed rice has a reputation for being “just air.” That's not quite fair.

It is a lightweight cereal food that primarily provides carbohydrates, but its low bulk density makes it particularly useful for snacks and light meals.

It's also incredibly versatile. You can turn it into:

  • Jhalmuri
  • Bhel-style snacks
  • Muri mixtures
  • Puffed rice upma
  • Sprout bowls
  • Vegetable snack bowls
  • Breakfast mixtures
  • Traditional regional recipes

NIN dietary material includes puffed rice among minimally processed cereal foods, which is a useful reminder that not every convenient food belongs in the same category as highly processed packaged snacks.

What else?

A bowl of plain puffed rice isn't particularly rich in protein or fiber. That's why the best way to use it is as a base.

Add: Puffed rice + sprouts + vegetables + peanuts + lemon

Now you've got a much more interesting meal.

Or try: Puffed rice + roasted chickpeas + cucumber + tomato + coriander

Flattened rice for everyday superfooding special

If puffed rice is the crunchy one, flattened rice is the soft, versatile workhorse.

Most people know it as poha.

Rinse it, let it soften, season it, add vegetables and peanuts, and you've got breakfast in minutes.

But poha isn't limited to one recipe. You can combine flattened rice with:

  • Peas
  • Carrots
  • Beans
  • Onions
  • Tomatoes
  • Peanuts
  • Sprouts
  • Curd
  • Herbs
  • Seasonal fruit
  • Eggs
  • Paneer
  • Lentils

What Does a Balanced Puffed Rice or Poha Meal Look Like?

Here's a simple formula you can remember:

Cereal + Protein + Vegetables/Fruit + Healthy Fat

Your cereal

Choose:

  • Puffed rice
  • Flattened rice

Your protein

Add one or more:

  • Sprouts
  • Chickpeas
  • Lentils
  • Roasted gram
  • Peanuts
  • Curd
  • Paneer
  • Eggs
  • Beans

Your vegetables or fruit

Use what's available:

  • Tomato
  • Cucumber
  • Carrot
  • Peas
  • Spinach
  • Cabbage
  • Beans
  • Onion
  • Seasonal fruit

Your healthy-fat source

Keep the portion sensible:

  • Peanuts
  • Sesame seeds
  • Other nuts
  • Seeds

Here's a detailed review of both superfoods from India

A 7-Day everyday meal plan with puffed rice and flattened rice

You can treat the following as a medical diet, calorie-restriction program, or personalized weight-loss plan.

Day 1

Breakfast: Vegetable poha with peanuts and lemon

Mid-morning: Seasonal fruit

Lunch: Rice or roti + dal + vegetables + curd

Evening: Puffed rice + roasted gram + cucumber

Dinner: Vegetables + beans/lentils + rice or roti

Day 2

Breakfast: Poha with peas, carrots and peanuts

Mid-morning: Fruit + a small serving of nuts

Lunch: Dal + vegetables + rice

Evening: Muri with sprouts, tomato, onion and coriander

Dinner: Roti + vegetables + paneer/beans

Day 3

Breakfast: Poha with vegetables and curd

Mid-morning: Seasonal fruit

Lunch: Chickpeas + vegetables + rice/roti

Evening: Puffed rice + roasted chickpeas + lemon

Dinner: Dal + vegetables + your preferred staple

Day 4

Breakfast: Vegetable poha with peanuts

Mid-morning: Fruit

Lunch: Rice + dal + leafy greens + vegetables

Evening: Sprout and puffed-rice bowl

Dinner: Eggs/paneer/beans + vegetables + roti

Day 5

Breakfast: Poha with mixed seasonal vegetables

Mid-morning: Fruit or curd

Lunch: Beans + vegetables + rice/roti

Evening: Muri + peanuts + roasted gram

Dinner: Lentils + vegetables + rice

Day 6

Breakfast: Vegetable poha + curd

Mid-morning: Seasonal fruit

Lunch: Your regular balanced homemade meal

Evening: Jhalmuri-style puffed rice with vegetables

Dinner: Paneer/eggs/beans + vegetables + roti or rice

Day 7

Breakfast: Poha with vegetables, peanuts and lemon

Mid-morning: Fruit

Lunch: A balanced family meal

Evening: Muri + sprouts + cucumber + tomato

Dinner: Dal or another protein source + vegetables + your preferred cereal/staple

The important point is that flattened rice and puffed rice don't replace every other food.

Finally, wrapping things up!

The World Health Organization emphasizes four broad principles for healthy eating: adequacy, balance, moderation and diversity. That last word, “diversity” realy matters.

Eat different vegetables, rotate your protein sources, eat fruit, include legumes, use different grains when practical, add nuts and seeds and enjoy familiar foods like poha and puffed rice along the way. Indians remain healthy on these meals, which is a fact. 

There's some hidden advantages too: they are good for heart, liver and whole body plus they're quite affordable.

A diet that requires expensive ingredients every week isn't realistic for everyone. Puffed rice and flattened rice are useful precisely because they're familiar, accessible staples that can be combined with inexpensive local ingredients.

You can use peanuts instead of constantly buying expensive nuts. You can cook according to what's available. That's not just budget-friendly but It's sustainable too.

Want puffed rice and flattened rice in bulk? Drop your views!