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Poha Chivda (or Chuda Mixture) is a popular Indian snack mix featuring dried/flattened rice flakes called poha (or chuda), dry fruits, cashew nuts, and lots of spices. This delicious savory snack was contributed by my podcast guest Lopa Mishra as a favorite Diwali treat.
However, she hastens to add it's enjoyed in India at many other times. For Lopa, it's a perfect tea-time snack. Her favorite is a cup of hot ginger tea, but Chuda is also a common chai time accompaniment.
Lopa assures us that there are endless versions of poha mixture, each containing a slightly different assortment of ingredients. (So the great thing is: you can't mess it up! Experiment until you find YOUR perfect combination!) This version, from Lopa's mother, differs slightly from a traditional recipe simply in the fact that it's lightly fried in a little oil. This roasted chivda is, therefore, healthier than a deep-fried poha chivda, but still delicious.
FAQ About Poha Chivda
What is the main ingredient in Poha Chivda?
The main ingredient in Chivda is poha, a flattened rice flake. This is roasted, lightly fried, or deep fried. Spices are tempered in hot oil and poured over the poha and whatever mix-ins you choose: dried fruits and nuts are the most common. Lopa also suggest sesame seeds.
Are there other names for Poha Chivda?
Yes, in Lopa's region of India, the flattened rice was called Chuda. This mixture is called Chuda Mixture.
Do all kinds of poha work equally well?
No! Frying thick poha will not achieve the same light, crispy texture you get with fine poha.
What if I like an extra spicy Poha Chivda?
Oh yes, there are SO many ways to heat up your Chuda! First, when Lopa has you fry your dried red chilis, just toss in a couple of extra. Second, add more than the 1/2 teaspoon of dried red chilli powder that Lopa recommends. Third, you can fry and add green chilies. Fourth, you can add chili flakes. If you love spicy snacks, the possibilities go on and on for satisfying your taste buds.
What is gram dal?
Gram dal very small chickpeas, split and roasted. You can easily find them in Indian grocery stores anywhere. They're edible right out of the bag.
Is Chuda/Chivda a healthy snack?
Ah, the age old "healthy" question. Healthy depends, of course, on your own nutritional needs and goals:
- Depending on the mix-ins that you add, Chivda can be a good source protein from nuts and seeds.
- Chivda is naturally vegan and gluten-free.
- A roasted poha chivda will be healthier than a poha mixture full of fried ingredients. This recipe uses a light frying approach, using minimal oil.
How long can you store Chivda?
According to Lopa, you can store it in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
What are common substitutions?
Lopa calls for cumin and mustard seeds. You could also add or substitute fennel seeds or coriander seeds. (I added the latter because I absolutely love coriander seeds!!)
Lopa calls for raisins. I chose to go with golden raisins, simply because they're so pretty! You really could add any dried fruit.
Lopa calls for a combination of raw cashews and peanuts. I was out of peanuts and only used cashews. You could add other nuts.
What does it mean to "lightly fry"?
Lopa's recipe calls for just 2 tablespoons of oil. Some ingredients (the gram dal) are dry roasted. A few (the poha flakes) are fried in just a small amount of oil over low flame. The nuts, coconut, and spices are fried in a little more oil over medium flame.
Lopa's Memories of Poha Chiva
Growing up, Diwali (and Durga Puja) was one of the most fun festivals, and mom would always make so many goodies to eat! For Diwali, the eats I remember distinctly - kheer, kakra pitha, puri, aloo tarkari, gulab jamun, gajar halwa, nimki, boondi ladoo, nakhatai biscuits, chuda mixture, dahi vada.
Chuda Mixture is a snack made with chuda (flattened rice) with nuts, raisins, lentils and some spices which are fried and mixed together. Although, this snack was not typically an Odia (people from Odisha - state in India my family belongs) delicacy for Diwali, it was definitely one of the most readily available snack items in the market that you serve with sweets to guests who come home on the occasion of a festival - pairing somethings savoury with sweets.
My mother has always been cosmopolitan in her outlook, adopting recipes, cultures and practices from other communities, neighbours and so on. This recipe is somewhat a fruit of that. Instead of buying it from outside, mom would make it at home so that she had more control over the amount of oil and salt that would go into the snack. Also, anything homemade was always far more loved and a priority at my place.
When I grew up and went to Bombay (for studies and job later), I found this snack as common thriving element in the Diwali faral (snack items prepared ahead of Diwali to be distributed amidst neighbours and guests), and it was called poha chivda. I got to eat this a lot at my friends' places while living in Bombay, and my friends' moms were very generous in sharing how they made it. I shared the same with my mom, and mom being mom inculcated a few ideas from the Maharashtrian version into her own that she had perfected over years.
Honestly, it's one of the easiest and simplest snack you can make at home. It goes perfectly with a cup of chai and stores very well for weeks. I remember every time I would go back to college after Diwali vacations, my parents would pack so many munchies and snacks, and this would definitely be there along with nimki, kakra pitha, karanji and nankhatai biscuits. Whenever I would open those dabbas at the hostel, a whiff of home would emanate filling me up with happy tears. Unlike many other Diwali snacks, this is fairly simple to put together - contrary to popular opinion that people outside India may have that Indian cooking is usually complicated/difficult.
Food has always been the center of togetherness for me - that's what I saw growing up. And, the idea of making big batches of goodies ahead of Diwali to share with loved ones, taking few helpings while these are made, the laughter, the joy, the running around is everything that Diwali is about - a day of homecoming and togetherness. These are the memories I have of all Diwali snacks, and the image of my mom making them, in all the many kitchens of the houses we lived in, have never gotten hazy in my mind over the years.
Learn More About Diwali and Poha Chivda: Listen to Lopa's Episode!
Episode 138: The 5 Days of Diwali with Lopamudra Mishra
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Recipe
Poha Chivda
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Description
A popular, delicious savory Indian snack made from flattened rice flakes and loads of mix-ins. This version is lightly fried rather than deep fried.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 to about 3 cups thin flattened rice (thin poha)
- 1/4 cup raw peanuts
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup dried coconut slices
- 1 -2 tablespoons raisins
- 2 -3 tablespoons Chana dal (Bengal gram)
- 2 tablespoons oil (sunflower or peanut or olive oil)
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 -4 dry red chilies
- 12 -15 curry leaves (about 2 long sprigs)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 -2 pinches Asafoetida
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
Cue Up The Episode!
Be sure to listen to Lopa's episode on The Storied Recipe Podcast, The 5 Days of Diwali while you make her Poha Chivda!
Make The Recipe
- Keep all ingredients ready (mise en place) so that everything is in your reach to add to the pan one by one.
- Wash the curry leaves and rub on a kitchen towel to remove the moisture. Leave them on the kitchen towel to dry.
- In a pan on low to medium heat, add chana dal and dry roast it for about 1-2 minutes. Once it's light brown and smells nutty, it's done. Keep it aside in a small bowl or plate to add later.
- In the same pan on low to medium heat, add 1 tablespoon oil, and add flattened rice. Lightly roast it for 8-10 minutes taking care not to burn or turn it brown. Once done, take out and keep aside in a big mixing bowl.
- Now, add 1/2 tablespoon oil in the pan and then add the peanuts and start light frying. Once they turn brownish ( in about 2-3 minutes), add cashews. Keep frying till cashews start turning golden. Next add the raisins followed by coconut slices and fry till raisins puff up slightly and coconut slices turn light brownish. Once done, add it to the bowl containing flattened rice.
- Add the remaining oil to the pan and raise the heat to medium. Create the tempering (tadka) by adding mustard seeds and then cumin seeds. Once they sputter, quickly add asafoetida. Add curry leaves and fry to dry out the moisture completely. Add the dry red chilies and the roasted chana dal and mix. Add the turmeric and red chili powders and let the dry spices cook for a few seconds - take care not to burn the red chili powder. Switch off the heat and take the pan off it.
- Pour this tempering over the flattened rice, nuts and raisins in the bowl. Add sugar and salt and toss everything together. Mix gently but nicely so that the spices coat everything well. You can also crush a few of the curry leaves. Taste to ensure the mixture has been mixed evenly.
- Cool down the mixture to room temperature and keep in an air tight jar for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Be sure to listen to Lopa's episode The 5 Days of Diwali while you make her Poha Chivda!
- This recipe uses less oil and involves light pan frying instead of deep frying, which is often done in traditional recipes. Deep frying, as well as adding more salt, ensures more longevity of the mixture, but in my family, we prefer to make a batch that's enough for about 2-3 weeks, and then we make a fresh batch if we want more later.
- Although a Diwali snack, it's also made at other times of the year, especially in the winters when fried/roasted snacks are preferred more (because they provide warmth) due to the cold weather.
- You can also use almonds and white sesame seeds along with or in place of peanuts and cashews. You can increase or decrease the quantity of nuts and raisins as per your preference.
- It's a perfect snack on its own or with a cup of chai. During Diwali, it's usually served along with sweets or packed with other snack items and shared/distributed. You'll often find this in Indian stores too, or some version of it labeled as poha chivda.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Appetizers, Snack
- Cuisine: Indian, South Asian
Nutrition
- Calories: 74
- Sugar: 1
- Sodium: 4
- Fat: 6
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Carbohydrates: 4
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 2
Would love to hear from you!