Homemade Indian snacks can be seem so daunting! I'm learning that sometimes you just have to change the method and make it the way you're comfortable. Sometimes it doesn't works but when it does, I feel like I've just pulled off a magic trick! lol That's exactly how I feel about this oven toasted chivda.
What is Chivda?
Chivda is an Indian snack mix, similar to trail mix or chex mix. It is an assortment of nuts, dried fruit and fried lentils. Its super addicting because its the perfect mix of sweet, salty, spicy, sweet. And do not forget about all of the textures!
Its actually a lot of fun to make my own chivda snack mix because I get to customize it completely. We love having cornflakes in our mix. Its actually been hard to find a mix that has cornflakes and has the right balance of seasoning of us!
Oven Toasted Method
Traditionally chivda, just like all of the best Indian snacks, is made my frying everything and then seasoning with a nice sweet, salty, spicy mix.
I tried that once and it was a complete fail. It was just to oily for me. So I resigned myself to the store bought chivda mixes. But those are also so hit or miss for me!
So I tried again! But this time, I just threw everything into a baking sheet and then kept checking it every few minutes to make sure it wasn't burning. Well guess what!? This method works!!
The nuts, lentils and puffed rice toast up wonderfully in the oven. As they cool, they are perfectly crispy. And best of all there's no grease! I didn't add any to the baking sheet.
Seasoning
I like a super simple seasoning mix for chivda. So I like to just stick with the basic flavors here: sweet, salt, spice, sour and bitter.
- Sugar
- Salt
- Red Chili Powder
- Amchur Powder
- Curry Leaves
This oven toasted chivda is absolutely perfect with a warm cup of masala chai!
Don't forget to check out all of my Diwali posts!
Oven Toasted Cornflake Chivda
Ingredients
- ½ cup cashews
- ¾ cup peanuts
- ⅓ cup roasted chana dal
- ¾ cup poha
- 1.5 cups cornflakes
- 1.5 cups mamra
Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 10 curry leaves
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ teaspoon amchur powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
Optional Add-ins
- ½ cup sev
- ½ cup gathiya
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 325°F, prep a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.
- Add cashews, peanuts, chana dal and poha to the lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Stir and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Stir again and check for doneness. Nuts should be slightly browned. If the mixture is still pale, continue baking for 3 minutes, stir and check for doneness. Once lightly browned, remove from oven. Set aside and cool for 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
- Now add cornflakes and mamra to the same baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, add toasted cornflakes and mamra to the same large bowl as the nut mixture.
- Add oil to a small saucepan. Allow to heat for 1 minute, add curry leaves, (watch for oil splatter!). Add turmeric and red chili powder to the oil. Cook for 2 minutes then remove from heat.
- Add seasoned oil over the toasted mixture. Sprinkle sugar, salt, and amchur powder over the mixture. Mix well to distribute the seasonings.
- Taste for salt and sugar, add additional seasoning if needed.
- Store in a dry container, serve as a snack.
Nutrition
Adapted from Times of India Chivda Recipe
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