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
- 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 tbsp 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 tbsp 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