Chivda is a traditional Maharashtrian snack mix or namkeen made with flattened rice (poha), spices, nuts, and dry fruits. It has a balanced sweet and savory taste with a crisp texture. This recipe is simple to prepare and keeps well.
Recipe Snapshot
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Cook time: 20 minutes
- Total time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 5
- Category: Snacks
- Cuisine: Indian, Maharashtrian
Ingredients
- 2 cups poha (thin variety, (aval or flattened rice))
- ⅓ cup peanuts
- ⅓ cup roasted chana dal ((roasted split and hulled chickpeas))
- ⅓ cup cashews
- ¼ cup chopped dry coconut slices (- optional)
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
- ⅓ cup oil (- can use peanut oil or sunflower oil)
- 14 to 15 curry leaves
- 2 green chilies (- sliced or chopped)
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 generous pinch asafoetida ((hing))
- 2 teaspoons powdered sugar (or confectioner's sugar, add as required)
- 1 to 1.5 teaspoons salt (or add as required)
- ½ tablespoon oil (- for tempering, can use peanut oil or sunflower oil)
Method
Roasting poha
- Measure all the ingredients and keep them separately in a plate or bowl.
- Heat a wide, thick bottomed pan or kadai with a handle.
- Keep the flame to a low. Then add 2 cups of thin poha or rice flakes in it.
- Roast the poha. Gently stir and shake the pan so that the poha gets evenly roasted, as a thorough constant stirring with a spoon might break the poha. Since they are papery, light and delicate.
- Within 3 to 4 minutes the poha flakes will change their texture and become crisp. Don't roast the poha on a high flame. Since on a high flame, the poha may get browned or burned.
- Don't brown the poha. Remove the roasted poha on a plate and place aside.
Frying dry fruits, nuts and lentils
- Heat oil for deep frying in a small pan or tadka pan. I have used a tadka pan. Alternatively you could use a wide pan and use a heat-proof fine sieve ladle or fine mesh strainer with handle to fry the nuts.
- Add peanuts and fry them till they become crisp. Remove them with a slotted spoon. Place in another dish or bowl.
- Now add the dry coconut slices till they become crisp and light golden or golden. Remove them with a slotted spoon. Place in the same dish or bowl where you placed fried peanuts.
- Now fry the roasted chana dal for some seconds, till they become crisp. Remove them with a slotted spoon. Place in the same dish or bowl.
- Similarly fry cashews till they become crisp. Remove the cashews with a slotted spoon. Place in the same dish or bowl.
- Lastly fry 2 tablespoon of raisins till they swell and become plump in size. Remove the raisins with a slotted spoon. Place in the same dish or bowl where other fried nuts are placed.
Tempering and making chivda
- Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in the same pan or kadai in which the poha flakes were roasted. Lower the flame. Add curry leaves, green chilies and a generous pinch of asafoetida.
- Stir and saute, till the chilies and curry leaves become crisp. Saute on a low flame.
- Then add sprinkle ¼ turmeric powder and 1 to 1.5 teaspoons salt or add salt as per taste.
- Now add 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar.
- On a low flame, stir till the powdered sugar till it is mixed evenly or starts caramelizing.
- Then add the roasted poha along with the fried ingredients - peanuts, raisins, cashews and chana dal. Shake the pan so that everything gets mixed. If stirring, the stir gently and lightly.
- Roast for 4 to 5 minutes. Preferably shake and mix the chivda mixture by shaking the pan. If stirring, then gently stir. Don't apply too much force while stirring else the poha flakes might break.
- Switch off the flame. Let the poha chivda sit in the hot pan for 1 to 2 mins more.
- Then remove the poha chivda in another plate and let it cool at room temperature. Once cooled, then store in an air-tight box and container. It keeps well for about a week.
- Serve the chivda as a tea time snack.
Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note
Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.