How to Make Chiwda Namkeen - Diwali Special Recipe

Crispy and crunchy snack made with flattened rice, peanuts, cashews and raisins

Poha chivda is a popular and easy snack in India. It is specially popular in Maharashtra and Karnataka. It is specially made on Diwali along with others savory items.

You can also use corn chivda instead of poha chivda for a variation. Cashews, raisins and peanuts can be added according to your own preference. You may also add some fried masala boondi  in it. I love to add sugar in it but addition of sugar and turmeric is optional .
I have also posted Aloo chivda, Masala mathri , Aloo kachori which you can also make this Diwali

Prep time- 5 min
Cooking time-20 min
Cuisine-Indian
Type-Snack

INGREDIENTS-

• Flattened Rice/Chivda -1.5 cup
• Corn chivda- 1 cup
• Peanuts / moongphali -3/4 cup
• Roasted chana daal/ daaliya - 1/2 cup
• Cashew nuts / Kaju - 1/2 cup
• Raisins / Kishmish - 2tbsp
• Green chilies, chopped - 1 tbsp
• Curry leaves -10

Spice mix-

• Chili powder/Lal mirch - 1tsp
• Castor sugar/pisi hui chini - 2 tsp
• Citric acid / tatri / Nimbu phool,powdered - a pinch of
• Turmeric / Haldi -3/4 tsp
• Salt - to taste

PROCEDURE-

1. Take a small bowl and mix all the spices in it and keep aside.(A)
2. Heat enough oil in a deep and wide pan/kadhai .
3. Keep all the ingredients near you before frying as all the frying should be done quickly,and keep a colander handy to collect all the fried ingredients  in it.
4. When the oil become hot add curry leaves and fry till they become crisp,drain on a colander.
5. Now fry chopped green chilies till crisp and then drain.
6. Fry the peanuts on medium heat till they become golden, then drain on the colander.
7. Same way deep fry cashew nuts and chana daal in medium heat to a nice golden colour and then drain on the colander.
8. Add raisins in hot oil, and as soon as they swell up, immediately take them out and drain. Overcooked raisins become chewy and hard.
9. Add a handful of poha in hot oil, and when done it will come up and start floating over the oil then strain it with a fine metal sieve and add in the colander.
10. Don't over crowd the pan with poha, else it will not cook properly.
11. No need to over cook it or make it golden. It remains white even after frying.
12. In the same, fry the remaining poha and corn chiwda.
13. Keep collecting  all the fried ingredients in the same colander.
14. Now coarsly crush the fried curry leaves and mix with all the ingredients.
15. When you finish frying all the ingredients, immedietely add the spice mix (A) in the fried hot chiwda and mix well.
16. Let it cool down completely then store in a air tight container.

Serving Suggestions - Serve with any hot or cold beverage.

Notes-
1-Use thick variety of poha to make this chiwda.
2-You can also make this chiwda only with poha or corn chivda ,addition of both is optional.
3-You can adjust the quantity of peanuts,cashew,chana daal and raisins according to your choice and taste.
4- Frying curry leaves and green chilies first, gives a nice flavour to the oil.
5- Add spices in the hot chivda as soon as you finish frying ,otherwise it will not stick properly if it become cold.