Traditional vs. Modern Methods of Making Rice Flakes

Rice flakes – known across South Asia as poha, chiura, or avalakki – are one of the oldest processed grain foods in the world. Flattened rice has been a breakfast staple across India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka for centuries, made by transforming raw paddy into thin, light flakes that cook in minutes. But the way those flakes are produced has changed dramatically. Traditional hand-based methods, passed down through generations, look almost nothing like the steam-injected, roll-flaking systems used in modern processing plants today. Understanding both approaches – what happens at each stage, and why the steps differ – matters for anyone studying paddy value addition.

What rice flakes are and why paddy selection matters 🔗

Rice flakes are made by parboiling rice, then rolling and flattening it, and finally drying it to produce thin flakes. The end product is small, light, and roughly 2mm long, with an uneven edge and a mild flavour that absorbs liquid and spices readily. Not all paddy varieties are suitable. Specific varieties like Mahamaya in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, and Kranti in Madhya Pradesh, are preferred for their flaking characteristics. The right variety produces flakes that hold their shape without crumbling – a key quality marker in both domestic and export markets.

Rice flakes are rich in carbohydrates, fibre, and iron, making them a widely consumed breakfast food. They are also gluten-free and easy to digest, which partly explains their enduring popularity across the region. The final product comes in three grades – thick (around 1 mm), medium (around 0.6 mm), and thin or paper poha (0.3-0.5 mm) – and the production method used largely determines which grade can be achieved.

The traditional method of making rice flakes 🔗

The traditional process is built around three core operations: soaking, roasting, and mechanical flattening using a chuda or pan machine. Each step is labour-intensive and depends heavily on the skill of the operator.

Soaking the paddy 🔗

The process starts with cleaning – paddy arriving from the field contains stems, leaves, mud, and stones. After cleaning and de-stoning, the paddy is washed and then soaked in fresh water at room temperature for 8 to 10 hours or overnight, which raises the moisture content of the paddy to around 32%. After soaking, the water is drained and the paddy is spread out to surface-dry before moving to the roasting stage. The partial fermentation that occurs during soaking retains probiotic bacteria that are beneficial for gut health and digestion.

Roasting with sand 🔗

Roasting is arguably the most critical and skill-dependent step in the traditional method. The soaked paddy is roasted together with fine sand at temperatures between 140°C and 160°C for 35 to 55 seconds. The sand acts as a heat transfer medium, ensuring each grain is heated evenly. Roasting reduces the moisture content of the paddy to between 16% and 18%. The temperature and duration must be carefully controlled – too much heat causes the paddy to pop like popcorn, ruining the batch. In traditional settings, heat is generated using coal, wood, sawdust, or rice bran. After roasting, the sand is removed by sieving.

De-husking and flattening on the chuda machine 🔗

The roasted paddy is then fed into a chuda machine (also called a pan machine). The paddy passes between two counter-rotating discs that simultaneously remove the husk and flatten the grain – the husk exits through perforations in the lower disc, while the flattened rice comes out from the machine as thick poha. Passing the thick poha through the discs again reduces it to medium or thin grades. The output at this stage still contains husk fragments, bran pieces, and powdered poha, which are removed by sorting over vibrating screens and winnowers.

In small-scale or very traditional operations, manual sifting using a Jhara – a type of hand sifter – is used to screen the flattened rice, though this requires dedicated labour and produces low throughput. The entire traditional process, from soaking to sorted flakes, is time-consuming and produces output that can vary in quality depending on roasting skill and paddy moisture levels.

The improved (modern) method of making rice flakes 🔗

The modern method replaces sand roasting and manual flattening with a sequence of controlled industrial operations: cooking in a rotary cooker, mechanical drying, roll flaking, and toasting. The goals are consistent quality, reduced kernel breakage, and the ability to scale production.

Cooking in a rotary cooker 🔗

Instead of soaking paddy, the modern method works with cleaned, polished rice grains that are loaded directly into a stainless steel rotary cooker. The desired quantity of water is added, and then steam is injected into the cooker for a set period to cook the grains to the required level – during this process, the grain starches are fully gelatinised. Gelatinisation is key: it makes the grain pliable enough to be pressed flat without shattering. After complete gelatinisation, the grains are removed from the cooker and allowed to cool before flaking. The rotary cooker allows precise control of temperature, steam pressure, and cooking time – removing the variability that comes with traditional open-fire roasting.

Mechanical drying 🔗

After cooking, the rice carries high moisture, which must be reduced before it can be effectively flaked. The moist flakes are collected in a hot air kiln and dried to a moisture level of 8-10%, then cooled to room temperature. Mechanical dryers provide a controlled environment where airflow, temperature, and drying time can all be adjusted. This is a significant improvement over sun drying or ambient air cooling, which are subject to weather conditions and take considerably longer.

Flaking with large rolls 🔗

The dried, cooked rice is then passed through a flaking machine – the centrepiece of modern rice flake production. The product is fed via a frequency-controlled feed roll into two parallel flaking rolls; the gap between the rolls corresponds to the desired flake thickness, and scrapers below the rolls prevent the product from sticking. Large-diameter, water-cooled flaking rolls deliver the nip pressure needed to produce thin, uniform flakes without tearing. The moisture level in the flakes at this stage is typically around 22-25%, and further drying follows. Crucially, the adjustable, precision-controlled roll gap significantly reduces kernel breakage compared to the repeated passing through rotating discs used in the traditional chuda machine.

Toasting for texture and shelf life 🔗

The final stage in the modern method is toasting. Drum or fluidised-bed toasters with zoned temperature and airflow finish the product to low moisture without scorching. Toasting enhances the flavour and crispness of the flakes, improves their shelf life, and gives the product a more uniform colour. The moisture content of properly finished flakes is typically in the range of 1.5-3%. At this moisture level, the flakes are stable for storage and packaging without risk of mould or spoilage.

Comparing the two methods 🔗

Both methods produce rice flakes, but they differ substantially in labour requirements, output consistency, scale, and the types of paddy or rice used as input.

The traditional method uses whole paddy as its starting material, and the soaking-roasting sequence preserves much of the bran layer. Since flattened rice flakes are processed with the bran, most of the nutrients are said to be retained. This makes traditionally-produced poha nutritionally slightly richer. However, quality is variable – roasting temperature, soaking duration, and operator skill all affect the final product. The yield from paddy in traditional production is generally 65-70%, depending on variety, paddy quality, and processing conditions.

The modern method uses polished broken rice, which means the bran is already removed before processing begins. What it gains is uniformity: the rotary cooker gelatinises every grain to the same degree, the mechanical dryers remove moisture evenly, and the precision roll gap produces flakes of consistent thickness. The recovery of flakes from paddy in modern mill settings can reach 50-58% by weight, though this depends heavily on machinery selection and process management. The reduction in yield compared to traditional methods is partly offset by the dramatic reduction in breakage and the much higher throughput possible with automated equipment.

From a cost and scalability standpoint, the modern method suits commercial and industrial production. The traditional method remains relevant for small-scale, artisanal, and community-level production, particularly in rural areas where it also holds cultural significance – in many villages, the making of poha is a communal activity tied to post-harvest seasons.

Nutritional profile and end uses 🔗

Rice flakes are composed of approximately 76.9% carbohydrates and around 23% fats, making them a good source of readily available energy. The high iron content – approximately 2.67 mg per cup – is partly a result of the production process, as rice passes through iron rollers during flaking. Rice flakes are also gluten-free, easy to digest, and can absorb large volumes of liquid, which makes them highly versatile in cooking.

Commercially, rice flakes are used far beyond the traditional breakfast dish. Rice flakes are used by breweries as adjuncts to enhance the colour, flavour, and smoothness of beer. They are also incorporated into breakfast cereals, energy bars, baby food formulations, and snack coatings. The thin and paper grades produced by modern flaking machines are particularly suitable for these industrial food applications, where uniformity and low moisture are non-negotiable.

Why the improved method reduces kernel breakage 🔗

One of the key technical advantages highlighted in the improved method is the reduction in kernel breakage. In the traditional method, roasted paddy is forced between rough rotating discs that simultaneously de-husk and flatten the grain – a mechanically violent process that causes a proportion of kernels to crack or shatter, generating powdered poha as a by-product. In the modern method, the grain has been fully gelatinised before it reaches the rolls. A gelatinised grain is pliable: it deforms uniformly under pressure rather than fracturing. The adjustable gap between parallel flaking rolls, combined with temperature-controlled roll surfaces, ensures efficient and gentle flaking. The result is fewer broken pieces, better flake integrity, higher-grade output, and less wastage – all of which directly affect the commercial value of the finished product.

What do you think? Given that the traditional method retains more of the bran and its associated nutrients, do modern industrial rice flake producers have an opportunity – or an obligation – to develop processes that preserve more of the grain’s nutritional value? And as demand for minimally processed foods grows, could there be a commercial case for bringing traditional poha-making methods to a slightly larger scale without sacrificing the qualities that make hand-processed flakes distinctive?

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flattened_rice
2. https://www.tarladalal.com/glossary-beaten-rice-poha-rice-flakes-flaked-rice-536i
3. https://beyondchutney.com/blog/poha-flattened-rice/
4. https://krishisewa.com/postharvest/4835/production-technique-of-paddy-s-value-added-product-poha-or-flaked-rice/
5. https://www.blogforcuriousmind.com/how-poha-is-made-from-rice-paddy
6. https://www.galaxysivtek.com/case-study/success-story-flattened-rice-or-poha/
7. https://gomtigroup.net/?page_id=113
8. https://www.schulefood.com/en/machines/flaking-roller-mill
9. https://agristuff.com/food-industry/corn-flakes-making-machine-from-flaking-to-toasting-specs-that-matter/
10. https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/poha-recipe-kanda-batata-poha/