Kara Pori | Spicy Puffed Rice

Kara Pori or Spicy Puffed Rice is a popular tea time snack in India. Puffed rice and a mixture of peanuts and roasted gram dal are gently tossed in a garlic spiced oil tempered with curry leaves and asafoetida. Kara Pori is an easy and healthy snack that will take less than 10 minutes to prepare. It will be a hit with all ages.

I grew up in a household where evening snacks or after school snacks were a part of our everyday diet. My brother and I would have our snacks after school and mom had hers when she returned home from work. As mom worked full time, she would prepare healthy snacks on the weekend. She tried her best not to rely solely on store bought junk.

My tryst with Kara Pori

Of all the snacks I remember growing up, this kara pori has always found its way on our snack plates very frequently. We loved it and never had a reason to complain. Mom would buy pori (puffed rice) from a farmer’s market near her office. It was always fresh and crisp. We would enjoy eating it on its own. It’s what I miss the most being in the US. The half stale puffed rice sold in Indian stores make me crave the fresh ones sold in India at local markets.

On one of my trips to Marudhamalai in Coimbatore, I tasted the spicier version of South Indian Kara Pori and was hooked! I couldn’t stop eating and before I knew it, I’d emptied the entire paper cone of the Masala Pori. This version of Kara Pori is my humble attempt at combining mom’s recipe and the one I had at Marudhamalai.

One batch of Kara Pori will easily last a week depending on how ravenous we were after school. Regardless, mom would prepare a fresh batch in the blink of an eye. This easy Kara Pori recipe takes less than 10 minutes and makes a huge batch. I’ve been making it very frequently ever since I moved to the US. My husband and I love it and we don’t feel bloated or sick even if we overindulged in it while binge watching on Netflix. My son has grown to love it equally and I make a less spicy version for him.

This Kara Pori

• Is a healthy snack and is very filling
• Is protein rich
• Can be tweaked to accommodate all spice levels
• Is Vegan
• Is a popular teatime snack

Check out other after school snack recipes from my blog

Idli Upma

Protein rich brownies

Wheat Jaggery Dosa

Indian style Guacamole

Ingredients for Kara Pori

Puffed Rice/Pori

You can get puffed rice in an any Indian store if you live abroad. If you’re in India, try to buy it from your local market for fresh and crisp puffed rice.

Peanuts

You can use either raw or roasted peanuts. If using roasted peanuts skip the roasting step. I always use raw peanuts as I find that roasted peanuts tend to get rancid pretty quickly.

Roasted Gram dal or Pottu kadalai

Roasted gram dal is one of the healthiest snacks and Is always a favorite amongst Indian children. Use it generously to make it a protein rich snack.

Coconut Oil

Always use coconut oil for the best flavor. You can try using ghee or any other neutral oil but it just won’t hit that perfect flavor profile. Don’t worry, you won’t be able to taste the strong flavor of coconut oil.

Garlic

Garlic Is the key flavor ingredient in this Kara Pori recipe. Make sure your garlic cloves don’t have any green sprouts. If they do, your Kara Pori will taste bitter.

Asafoetida

Asafoetida aids in digestion and amps the flavor by a notch.

Red chilies

Red chilies impart a subtle heat and lends a wonderful flavor to your Kara Pori. Use any kind of dried red chili depending on your spice preference. You can discard the seeds before using if you’re making it for children.

Curry leaves

There’s nothing better than the crunch of crisp curry leaves in any Indian snack. Ensure they are fresh and completely dry.

Turmeric powder

Turmeric powder imparts the characteristic yellow hue to your Kara Pori. Do not add more than the quantity mentioned.

Sambar Powder

I like to add Sambar powder to all my snacks and vegetable stir fries. It packs a punch of flavor without making the dish too spicy. You can replace it with red chili powder though.

Step by Step Method for making Kara Pori

Prep work for Kara Pori

In a pan dry roast the puffed rice(pori) till it’s slightly warm. This step is important especially if you’re using the puffed rice out of packets that are not very crisp.

Alternatively, you can roast it in the oven at 200F for 18 minutes, mixing it once halfway.

Once the puffed rice is roasted, keep it aside.

In the same pan add a teaspoon of coconut oil and roast the peanuts until they turn brown. You can skip this step if you’re using roasted peanuts.

Once the peanuts are roasted, switch off the flame and add the roasted gram dal and let it fry for 45 seconds. Once done, take the peanuts and roasted gram dal out and keep them aside.

Crush the ginger cloves roughly and retain the peel. You can use a mortar pestle or a rolling pin to crush the garlic.

Kara Pori – Making

In the same pan, add 2 teaspoons of coconut oil and add the crushed garlic. Fry for 30-40 seconds or until the garlic turns light brown in color.

Break 2 red chilies and add it to the pan along with torn curry leaves. Give it a stir and fry till the curry leaves turn crisp.

Add salt and 1/8^th teaspoon of Asafoetida and stir it once. Switch off the flame.

Add turmeric powder and sambar powder. If you don’t have sambar powder, use red chili powder instead. It’s important to add the spice powders only after turning off the heat. The spices can burn in the hot oil within seconds and turn your Kara Pori bitter. Hence, take care to ensure that your oil is not too hot when you add the spice powder.

Now add the roasted peanuts, gram dal and puffed rice to this spice mixture. Stir well to coat the spices on the puffed rice evenly.

Serving suggestions for Kara Pori

If you are making it for kids, deseed the red chilies before adding them and reduce the quantity of sambar powder to suit the spice preference of your kids.

Serve it with a cup of coffee or tea. It’s also a healthy and tasty after school snack.

You can pack it as a snack to school or office instead of munching on the junk packet snacks.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)

How to store the Kara Pori?

Let it cool down completely and store it in an air tight container. It’ll stay good for up to weeks.

How to make a less spicier version of Kara Pori?

When making it for kids re-seed the red chilies before adding them. This will ensure the kids don’t accidently eat the stray seeds from the Kara Pori. You can also skip the sambar powder and add just turmeric powder. That’s how my mom makes it.