Homemade Chiwda is a healthy snack for tea-time snacking or even to serve to guests during festivals. It is made using thin flat rice flakes (poha/ chiwda) and roasting it with some peanuts, dry coconut, and red chilies.
Try some more homemade namkeen-like dal mixture from the blog.
I have never made namkeen or Farsan at home. Lately, I have tried a few times using puffed rice, it was passable at best.
Then one day, I mistakenly bought a 1 kg pack of thin rice flakes in place of thick ones for making the regular poha (breakfast) at home. I was loath to waste it or try to cook and eat the thin flakes as poha for breakfast.
You can replace rice chiwda with ragi chiwda or murmure. You can add roasted dry fruits like cashews, and raisins as well.
Ever since moving to Pune, I have been introduced to homemade Chiwda quite a lot, especially during festivals.
Hoping that a neighbor would be able to help me make some reasonably good chiwda, I connected with Roopali.
I was blown away by what she made, to say the least. I had never eaten such perfect Chiwda at home.
I didn’t use up the entire batch of flakes. I used only 1/3rd and after experiencing such perfection I requested her to teach me again while I jot down her style of recipe.
So I bring to you this recipe which is hers and only recorded and shot by me. It’s a great tea-time snack that keeps you full in a healthy way. A great kids’ lunch box snack as well. It is a common faral/ namkeen snack served during Diwali in Maharashtra.
My mother has already told me I have to make it for her when I visit her next. The most important thing is to grind salt, sugar, and tartaric acid together. Do not skip this step as the salt tends to sink to the bottom if not ground together. Grinding together ensures that salt and spices stick to the flakes and other ingredients well.
Homemade Chiwda
Ingredients
- 250 gram thin rice flakes chiwda
- ⅓ cup roasted black gram bhuna kala chana, de-husked
- ½ cup of dry coconut sliced
- 2½ tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ cup peanuts
- ½ tspturmeric powder
- ⅛ cup sugar granulated
- ⅛ tsp tartaric acid tatri, nimbu satva
- 4-5 dried red chilies split
- to taste salt
- few curry leaves kadhi patta
Instructions
- Grind together sugar, salt and tartaric acid. Set aside. Do not skip grinding salt, sugar and tartaric acid. It is essential for even mixing of salt and sugar to stick to each grain of namkeen. If you skip this step then, the salt tends to settle down at the bottom, leaving the end portion of namkeen very salty.
- Heat oil in wok, add peanuts. Fry them till they are roasted nicely. Check for even browning of peanuts and firm texture. Remove from the wok and set aside.
- Add split chilies, curry leaves and sliced coconut. Fry them till the coconut turns nice golden brown or the tenderness is gone and it is crisp.
- Add roasted black chanas. Mix well.
- Now add turmeric powder, rice flakes and roasted peanuts. Add salt-sugar mix as per taste.
- Allow to cool and store in an air-tight container. It stays good for 7-10 days if stored in a sealed container. Serve as a snack with tea or coffee.
Notes
- A must-try homemade chiwda namkeen.
- You can replace rice chiwda with ragi chiwda or murmure.
- Do not skip grinding salt, sugar and tartaric acid. It is essential for even mixing of salt and sugar to stick to each grain of namkeen. If you skip this step then, the salt tends to settle down at the bottom, leaving the end portion of namkeen very salty.
- You can add roasted dry fruits like cashew, raisins as well.
- It’s a great tea time snack which keeps you full in a healthy way.
- It is a great kids lunch box snack as well.
- It is a common faral/ namkeen snack served during Diwali in Maharashtra.
