Chivda is a healthy Indian snack which is typically prepared with flattened rice (poha) along with assorted nuts and raisins. The spices that go in along with raisins gives it a mix of savory and sweet taste. It’s a great healthy munch that goes along with a cup of chai or coffee. You can either make it in stove top or oven.
Although Chivda is prepared with roasted poha, it doesn’t have any strict recipe rule. You can add all sorts of assorted crunchy bites to make it as per your liking.
It is one of the most popular Diwali Party Food.
Ingredient Notes:
Poha (Flattened Rice) – Use the thin or medium thin textured poha. Avoid using the thick variety.
Rice Krispies or Puffed rice – Both rice krispies and puffed rice works excellent in this snack mix. Puffed Rice is more popular in India as compared to Rice Krispies.
Makhana (Fox Nuts) – We are a big fan of phool makhana and often enjoy it roasted with spices. If you are not familiar with this variety of nuts, go find some in any nearby Indian store. These taste like popcorns.
Peanuts and Cashew nuts – Avoid it if you have nut allergy. You can use the other variety of nuts too.
Raisins – My fav part in Chivda. It adds a lovely sweet bite in between.
Fresh Curry Leaves – Fresh curry leaves, not only adds a lovely flavor, it also adds a green pop of color to the chivda.
Dry Red Chili – I add a few dry red chili, which doesn’t makes the Chivda spicy. It adds flavor. And sometimes a tiny bite of the roasted dry red chili along with chivda and tea just uplifts the taste bud.
Spices :
The sour taste of dry mango powder and chaat masala, along with sugar and chili powder, gives a lovely savory and sweet combination to the Makhana Poha chivda.
- Dry Mango Powder (Aam Chur)
- Chaat Masala
- Turmeric
- Chili Powder
- Salt
- Sugar
How to make Chivda?
You can make Chivda either in the stove top in a pan or in the oven. I personally love the oven baked as it is so effortless and tastes equally good as the stove top version.
To prepare in the Stove Top:
- Take a big heavy bottom pan and start by dry roasting the poha (flattened rice) and phool makhana (fox nuts).
- Then in a little oil, toast the nuts, dry red chili, raisins, curry leaves and add the spice powder. A quick toss is all it needs.
- Next, toss the roasted poha and makhana along with rice krispee or puffed rice.
- Taste for salt and add more if needed.
- Layer the cooked chivda in a cookie sheet and let it cool completely before you store in an airtight jar.
To prepare in the Oven:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F
- In a cookie sheet layer the fox nuts, flattened rice, puffed rice, nuts and drizzle little oil.
- Then add all the spices, along with salt and sugar, and mix it all around evenly.
- Bake for 15 minutes by tossing once in between.
- Fry the curry leaves and dry red chili separately in a pan and that to the roasted poha and nut mixture.
- Once cooled, store in an air tight jar.
How long can you store Chivda?
Once prepared and cooled completely, store in an airtight jar. It stays good for several weeks and if kept properly, it will stay crunchy too.
You can easily find Chivda in any Indian stores. And while I often go and buy a packet every other day. Diwali called for the homemade assorted version. Also, homemade Chivda is healthy as I don’t fry the poha instead just dry roast in a pan.
Chivda, a cup of chai and a game of cards to celebrate the festival of light.
FUN FACTS:
According to Indian Mythology, Goddess Parvati was playing the game of dice with Lord Shiva on the night of diwali. After winning, Goddess Parvati announced that whoever gambled on the Diwali night, would remain wealthy throughout the year. So, most of the people gamble that night, they believe the night to be lucky one.
Chivda (Healthy Indian Snack)
Ingredients
- 2 cups flattened rice (poha)
- 2 cups fox nuts (phool mahana)
- 1 cup rice krispee or puffed rice.
- ¼ cup peanuts
- ¼ cup cahew
- ½ cup raisins
- 4 dry red chili
- 2 sprigs of fresh curry leaves
- 2 tablespoons aam chur
- 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoons of chaat masala
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons oil
Instructions
- In a big heavy bottom pan on medium heat, dry roast the flatten rice for about 5 minutes. The size will shrink a little and it will taste crunchy. Then take it off to a separate container.
- To the same pan add the fox nuts and dry roast for 5 minutes in medium heat. Once it roasted properly, it should taste crunchy like popcorn. Once done, place it along with the roasted poha.
- Pour the oil to the same wok and keep it in medium heat. Once the oil heats up, add the dry red chili along with peanuts and cashew. It will take a minute for the nuts and the dry red chili to get roasted. Take off the dry red chili and keep it separately.
- Drop the curry leaves along with the raisins and let it curry leaves crisp up.
- Add all the spices along with the salt and sugar and toss it around for a minute.
- Add the roasted flatted rice along with roasted fox nuts and rice krispee.
- Toss everything around, to incorporate everything. Taste for salt and add more if needed.
- Allow the chivda to cool down completely before you store it in an airtight container.
- TO OVEN BAKE
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Layer the fox nuts, flattened rice, puffed rice or rice krispee, along with nuts in a cookie sheet.
- Drizzle oil on top along with the spices, salt and sugar. Mix it around to coat evenly.
- Bake for 15 minutes, by tossing once in between.
- Fry the curry leaves and dry red chili separately and add it to the mixture. Toss and let it cool completely before you store in a clean air tight jar.
mjskitchen
A couple of new ingredients for me - the flattened rice and the fox nuts. Need to read a little more about those. Love discovering new ingredients. These snack does look quite addicting with all of the flavors, textures and spices.