CHIVDA/CHEVDO

The chana dalia, peanuts and curry leaves add a fried crunchy taste to this chivda

 This is a special snack made specially during Diwali but you can also make it any other time. As this is spicy in taste, it goes well with ladoo. So chivda and ladoo is a famous combination. This is a healthy snack as it contains less oil. It goes perfectly well with tea/coffee and so will make a great afternoon snack. You can make it any time of the year and can store it outside for around 10 days. This can make a tasty and healthy snack even if you are travelling as it stays fresh outside. This is also a good snack for kids to take at school or even eat at home.
 

Chivda/Chevdo

 

 

Ingredients :-

2 cups poha (flattened rice) thin (it comes in thick and thin varieties)
2 handfuls of raw peanuts
2 handfuls of chana dalia (you can increase/decrease the amount of peanuts and chana dalia acc. to your taste)
10-15 curry leaves/sweet neem leaves
2 tsp white sesame seeds
1 1/2 tsp red chilli pwd. (or less if you want the chivda to be less spicy)
salt - acc. to taste
1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd./haldi pwd.
2 pinches asafoetida/hing

The peanuts, dalia and curry leaves add a fine color and texture to the chivda

Directions :-

1.  Heat oil in a non-stick vessel on medium heat.
2.  Once the oil heats, add mustard seeds and let them crackle. Now add turmeric pwd. followed by asafoetida. Add sesame seeds, stir them and add curry leaves.
3.  Add peanuts and saute them continuously for about 2-3 minutes till they are lightly fried.
4.  Add chana dalia, lower the flame and stir them for couple more mins. Be careful in this step  as dalia can burn quickly.
5.  Now add poha, red chilli pwd.,salt and sugar. 
6.  Stir it lightly with spatula or just toss it lightly (if you keep stirring continuously, poha might break) for about 8-10 mins till the poha become crunchy.
7.  Let it cool and store it in an airtight container. It stays fresh outside for about 10 days.

Variations :-

1.  You can also add a handful of golden or black raisins for the chewy texture.
2.  You can also add 1/2 tsp of whole coriander seeds with the curry leaves. Saute them and they will get crunchy and give a nice smoky taste to the chivda.
3.  Instead of red chilli pwd. try adding chopped green chillies for heat. Add them once you add the curry leaves and saute them for a minute till they get fried. When you eat the chivda, the fried chilli bites give a nice hot taste. Also they will help preserving the natural color of chivda.