Poha (rice)

Flattened rice

Uncooked Flattened rice flakes
Alternative names	Attukulu(Telugu) , Aval, avalakki, chiura, chuda(Odia), poha, beaten rice
Main ingredients	Dehusked rice

Flattened rice, commonly known as Chura, (also called beaten rice not to be confused with Poha, a North Indian dish prepared using flat rice) is rice which is flattened into flat, light, dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. The thicknesses of these flakes vary between almost translucently thin (the more expensive varieties) to nearly four times thicker than a normal rice grain.

This easily digestible form of raw rice is very popular across India, Nepal and Bangladesh, and is normally used to prepare snacks or light and easy fast food in a variety of Indian cuisine styles, some even for long-term consumption of a week or more. It is known by a variety of names: avalakki (ಅವಲಕ್ಕಿ) in Kannada, pauaa/paunva (પૌંઆ) in Gujarati, poya in Rajasthani, chuda in Odia (ଚୁଡା), atukulu in Telugu (అటుకులు), aval in Tamil (அவல்) and avil in Malayalam (അവൽ, അവിൽ), chiura in parts of Bihar and Jharkhand, chira in Bengali (চিঁড়া) and Assamese, chiura (चिउरा) in Maithili, Nepali, Bhojpuri and Chhattisgarhi, poha or pauwa in Hindi, baji in Newari, pohe (पोहे) in Marathi, and phovu (फोवूं) in Konkani.