Su's Recipes: Chivda Mixture

chivda mixture, pohe, poha, atukulu, aval, fried poha, snacks, Indian tea-time snack

Chivda Mixture is a snack prepared with flattened rice, which is also called beaten rice. This flattened dry flakes is prepared with a variety of nuts and spices, and tossed with salt and sugar. Here an ingredient called copra (dried coconut) has been added, which contains a lot of fiber contents, where its usually ignored in our food. So adding all these ingredients makes a very nutritional snack. This is a also a very tasty guilt-free evening snack, which is best relished along with your tea or coffee, especially during monsoon times. This is also an easily digestible form of raw rice and can be carried outdoors too since when stored in air tight container would last for some days.

The flattened rice is very popular and is cooked in different ways. I have already blogged the thick version of the same flattened version earlier, called Poha (Flattened Rice). In Indian languages, its called poha or pauwa in Hindi, Atukulu in Telugu, Aval in Tamil and Malayalam, Chinde in Bengali and parts of Bihar and Jharkhand, Chira in Assamese, Chudaa in Oriya, Chiura in Nepali, bhojpuri and Chhattisgarhi, Pohe in Marathi, Baji in Newari, Phovu in Konkani, Avalakki in Kannanda, and Pauaa/Paunva in Gujrati.

Ingredients:

1. Flattened Rice/Beaten Rice/Poha (translucently thin) - 2 cups (500 grams)

2. Peanuts - 1/2 cup

3. Cashewnuts - 1/4 cup

4. Roasted gram/chutney dal - 1/2 cup

5. Raisins - 1/4th cup

6. Dry coconut/copra - 1/4 cup

7. Red dried chillies - 3 no.

8. Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp.

9. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.

10. Curry leaves - 2 spring

11. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.

12. Asafoetida - a pinch

13. Sugar - 3 tbsp.

14. Oil - 1/4th cup

main ingredients for chivda mixture

Cooking Method:

1. Take 2 tbsp. of oil in a pan and roast the flattened rice/poha on a low flame till it becomes crispy. It can also be dry roasted too if you don't prefer oil but would suggest an easy method to pop it in the microwave and leave it for a minute and the poha becomes crispy. Once done take it on to a plate or a bowl.

2. In the same pan, again add 2 tbsp. of oil and roast all the ingredients one by one, under low flame and add it to the bowl of poha. First roast the peanuts until it splits and done with slight change of colour. Next roast the cashew nuts too same way.

3. In a fraction of a second, roast other ingredients too, as the other ingredients will not take much time. Roast the roasted gram until it just stated to change its colour, followed by raisins until it plumps up, dry red chillies (make it into small pieces), copra (slice the copra very finely), and finally curry leaves.

4. Add 1 tsp. of oil if found the necessity in the pan and add mustard seeds. Once this starts to splutter, switch off the flame. Now add sesame seeds and turmeric powder, and all the ingredients along with the flattened rice (poha) and toss it adding sugar and salt finally.

5. Once chilled store it in a air-tight container for a week or so. The chivda mixture is ready to relish as a perfect evening snack or enjoyed when packed for your long tours too.

Notes:

1. If using oil to fry the poha, just after frying, take it onto a tissue paper. This will make it not-too-oily and also it retains more crispiness.

2. Along with flattened rice, you can also add the same quantity of puffed rice/murmura for a different taste. Also to the same mixture, can add corn flakes too for more healthy version.

3. I have added red chilies here so that this can be given to kids as well. But you can alternate with even green chilies chopped finely for extra spice. Alternatively can even/only add red chilly powder too to this dish to spice up.

4. You can also enhance the taste of this by adding fried garlic, amchur powder, zeera one powder and fennel seeds.

5. If preparing to consume instantly, can even add fried/raw onions and chopped tomatoes.