Chivda - savoury roasted rice flakes with peanuts

One of my ex colleagues brought some chivda to work one day - and I loved it.  I asked her how to make it and she gave a brief verbal recipe.  So I started experimenting with it and came up with a bunch of ingredients that was healthy and tasty.  I made it as part of my Christmas goodies and distributed it to my friends at work.

Essentially, the main ingredient in the chivda are the rice flakes.  The rest is entirely up to you - make it as sweet or hot as you please and add nuts, sultanas, pepitas, depending on what you like.  I made two versions, one hot version with no pepitas and one bland version with pepitas and no asofetida to cater to a gluten free colleague.

Most chivda recipes ask you to add sugar - but I chose sultanas instead.  Also, I didn't add citric acid in my chivda. 

Ingredients:

·         Thin rice flakes (poha) - 4 cups

·         Oil - 2 tbsp

·         Roasted, split chickpeas – 1 cup

·         Peanuts with skin on - 1 cup

·         Cashew Nuts – 1 cup

·         Cumin seeds – 2 tablespoons

·         Flax seeds – 2 tablespoons

·         Sultanas – 1 cup

·         Asafoetida (Hing) - 1/4 tsp

·         Salt - 1 tsp

·         Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

·         Red chili powder - 1 tsp

·         Extra oil for frying nuts, split chickpeas and sultanas

Method:

1.    Heat oil in a pan.  Fry roasted chickpeas till they turn crisp.  Remove and set in a bowl.

2.    Next, in the same oil fry peanuts till they turn crisp and add to the bowl.

3.    Then fry the cashew nuts until they turn crisp and add to the bowl.

4.    Lastly, fry the sultanas till they turn plump and add to the bowl.

Note 1: If using roasted peanuts and cashew nuts you don’t have to fry them    again.

5.    In a thick bottomed pan, add the two tablespoons of oil and when it gets hot, add cumin seeds.  When they sizzle and release out their aroma, add the rice flakes. Toast it till the rice flakes turn crisp.

6.    Add asafoetida, salt, turmeric and chilli powder to the rice flakes and mix well.

7.    Add fried nuts, sultanas, split chickpeas and mix well.  

8.    Lastly, add flax seeds and turn off the stove.

9.    Mix well. Let the mixture cool.

10. Store in an airtight container.

Note 2: For the Christmas mix, I did not use asoefetida in step 6 and I used 1 cup pepitas instead – and added them in step 7. 

Note 3: Roasted split chick peas are optional – and instead of flax seeds you can use sesame seeds.

Note 4: For gluten free chivda, do not add asafoetida powder.

Enjoy with a cup of tea or a glass of chilled chardonnay or champagne!