Quick Snack with Flattened Rice

When thinking about evening-time snacks, creating new and unique snacks every day and for parties can be a really troublesome task. So, here is a quick, simple, and fun world-famous Indian snack, Chivda, for your tea party.

What is Chivda?

Chivda is a classic savory treat that is often enjoyed during Diwali. There are so many unique ways to prepare these snacks for any celebration, and they are known by several other names like farsan and namkeen.

This savory snack is made with fried cashews, golden raisins, rice poha, peanuts, and coconut slices. This simple Chivda Recipe is ideal for tea-time snacks and may also be prepared for kitty parties and office potlucks.

This homemade Chivda recipe is simple to prepare and delicious. Chivda has a balanced flavor of sweet and spice, making it an excellent snack for your children and family. Prepare Chivda and enjoy the delightful flavors with your family and friends.

You can squeeze some lemon on top of this Chivda dish for an added kick and serve with a steaming cup of tea. This traditional recipe is also one of the simplest to create, especially if you have unexpected company and don’t want to put in much effort to prepare this dish. The combination of crisp poha, finely chopped veggies, spices, and herbs adds to the appeal. So put on your chef’s hat and try this scrumptious recipe right away.

Ingredients At A Glance

Poha/Flattened Rice – The thickness of the rice flakes varies depending on the pressure employed in the flattening process. Thick poha, unlike thin poha, does not get mushy after soaking; thus, it is best for making simple poha. But for making chivda, we will use the thin poha, which has a very papery thin texture.

Dry Fruits and Nuts – You can add any kind of dry fruits and nuts to your chivda. I have used deep-fried nuts, lentils, and raisins here. However, you might roast the nuts and lentils in a skillet, oven, or even air fry them. So, these are the ones I have used in my recipe.

• Peanuts
• Almonds
• Cashews
• Sunflower Seeds
• Raisins
• Coconut slices

Curry Leaves & Green Chilies – These two components are the only fresh ingredients you will need to prepare chivda. So, when you add these two to the hot oil, ensure they are fried until all of the moisture has evaporated and they are crispy. This assures that the chivda will last longer. Also, the liquid in them will soften and make the poha soggy with time.

Spices – I added some dry condiments like mustard and sesame seeds—also, a bit of turmeric to add yellow color to the chivda.

Oil & Ghee – If you are dry roasting all the ingredients, you won’t need oil or ghee. But, for deep-frying, you can use either ghee, oil, or both.

Rock Salt and Powdered Sugar – Always add sugar and rock salt at the end.

How To Prepare Chivda?

Heat a Kadai, and add one tablespoon of ghee or clarified butter (you can also use oil instead of ghee).

Add the coconut slices and fry them on low heat till they become crisp and golden in color on both sides. This will take about 2 minutes. Remove them and keep them aside.

Now fry all the nuts, add the peanuts, almonds, and cashew nuts and fry them on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes or till they turn slightly golden brown in color. Once the nuts are done, add the raisins and fry for a minute.

Now in the same Kadai, add two tablespoons of oil and heat it.

Add mustard seeds and let them crackle. Then add the green chilies and fry on a medium flame for a minute.

Add curry leaves and keep stirring till it becomes crisp. Follow the same with the pumpkin seeds.

Now add the sesame seeds and the turmeric powder and mix well.

Now that the spice mix is ready add the poha and stir gently and lightly so that the poha flakes do not break. The poha needs to be roasted on low heat till it becomes nice and crisp, which takes about 10 to 12 minutes.

Once the poha turns crisp, add the fried coconut slices, toasted nuts, and raisins. Mix them all very well with a light hand.

Switch off the heat and add the powdered sugar and salt. We are adding the powdered sugar at the end so as not to caramelize the sugar.

Let the chivda sit in the pan for a minute or two. Then, transfer it to a plate to cool; once it cools fully, you can store it in an airtight container. If kept properly, it will last for a month.

Some Expert Tips For Preparing Chivda

• Green chile and curry leaves should be cooked until crisp, and no moisture remains. This is critical for extending the shelf life of chivda and keeping it crisp for a longer period of time.
• The number of dry fruits can be adjusted to your preference. For example, simply add more nuts and raisins if you prefer more or less if you prefer less.
• To make this chivda even healthier, replace one cup of poha with one cup of quick oats. Then, separately dry roast the oats and combine them with the poha in the recipe.

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