Fried Poha Chivda

Ingredients

• 1 cup poha thick variety – red or white poha (aval, flattened rice)
• ½ cup peanuts
• ½ cup roasted chana dal
• ½ cup cashews
• ¼ cup chopped dry coconut slices – optional
• 2 tablespoons golden raisins
• 10 to 12 curry leaves
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
• ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 generous pinch asafoetida (hing)
• 1 teaspoon powdered sugar or finely granulated sugar, add as required
• 1 teaspoon oil for tempering
• salt as required
• oil for deep frying, as required

Steps

1. First rinse the curry leaves, cashews and raisins.
2. Dry them in a clean kitchen towel.
3. Measure all the ingredients and keep them separately in a plate or bowl.
4. Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or wok. Take a heat-proof fine sieve with a handle or a fine mesh strainer with handle.
5. Place half of the poha or rice flakes in it. immerse the sieve with the poha in the medium hot oil.
6. Fry till they expand and become crisp. Don't brown them.
7. Remove the fried poha on a plate lined with paper towel.
8. Place the sieve on a dry plate. Add the remaining poha in it.
9. Again keep the sieve with the poha in the hot oil and fry till they are crisp.
10. Drain them in the same plate.
11. Next add the chana dal in the sieve and fry them for some seconds till they become crisp.
12. Drain on another plate.
13. In the same way fry the peanuts, cashewnuts, raisins, coconut slices and curry leaves.
14. Keep all of them separately in a same plate or in separate plates or bowls, lined with paper towels.
15. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in another pan. First add the mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds crackle.
16. Then add the cumin and sesame seeds. Let the sesame seeds crackle and change color slightly.
17. Switch off the flame. Add the turmeric powder, red chili powder, asafoetida.
18. Stir and now add sugar and salt.
19. Stir and switch on the flame and add all the fried ingredients – poha, peanuts, raisins, cashews and chana dal. Stir well.
20. Crush the fried and crisp curry leaves and add them to the chiwda mixture.
21. Stir well and roast for 2 to 3 minutes on a low flame. Continue to stir in between.
22. Check the taste of chiwda mixture and then add more salt or sugar or red chili powder if required.
23. Let the mixture cool and then store in an air-tight box and container.
24. Serve the chivda or namkeen as a tea time snack.