Chivda Recipe | Poha Chivda | Namkeen Recipe
Chivda is a delicious Snack mix or namkeen (savory and salted) mixture made with flattened rice flakes (poha), spices, dry fruit and nuts, plus hints of salt and sugar. The result is a crunchy, crispy treat with a delightful combination of salty and sweet flavors. Here I share two different and unique chivda recipes – a healthier roasted version, and a more indulgent recipe for fried poha chivda. Either method is easy to make with my step-by-step instructions with photos!
About Chivda
Chivda is a classic treat that is often enjoyed during the Diwali Festival. There are so many unique ways to prepare these snacks for any and all celebrations, and they are known by several other names like Farsan and Namkeen. The word Namkeen in Hindi means a salted or savory snack.
Typically chivda recipes include a crisp base of dry rice flakes (poha) or puffed rice or lentils or sev or potato strands/sticks or makhana (foxnuts) that’s cooked and combined with a variety of nuts, dried fruits, and fragrant spices.
Here I am sharing with you a Maharashtrian style chivda or namkeen recipe that is vegan and addictively delicious. It’s my personal favorite combination of ingredients for a wonderfully crispy, crunchy, sweet and salty mix of goodness.
In this namkeen recipe I use a blend of cashews and peanuts, plus dried coconut and golden raisins. The mixture is tempered with bold spices, including curry and green chiles, for a terrific balance of flavors.
There are two easy ways this version of chivda can be prepared:
- Pan Roasted Poha Chivda made with thin rice flakes and roasted on the stovetop for a slightly healthier treat.
- Fried Chivda made with thick poha and fried in oil for an even crispier and more decadent snack.
Both recipes are simple to prepare at home in under 30 minutes, so are great to make as a party snack or even for a quick (healthy-ish) evening treat.
However, I will admit that the fried version does taste a bit better simply because it creates a super crispy and crunchy texture. I suggest you give both poha chivda recipes a try and find out which you like more!
How to Make Chivda Recipe
Prep and Roast Poha
1. First, measure all the ingredients and have them ready to go in separate bowls.
2. Heat a wide, thick bottomed pan or kadai with a handle. Keep the flame to a low. Then add 2 cups of thin poha (thin rice flakes) to the hot pan.
3. Roast the poha. Gently shake the pan while stirring gently so that the poha gets evenly roasted, and do not stir with a spoon. The rice flakes are papery, light and delicate!
Make sure not to overdo the stirring or mixing as this will break the poha.
4. Within 3 to 4 minutes the poha flakes will change their texture and become crisp. Again, keep the heat to low and do not roast over high heat. Stir gently.
5. Remove the roasted poha on a plate and place aside.
Fry Dry Fruits and Nuts
I have here fried the nuts, lentils and raisins. But you could roast the nuts and lentils in a pan or in the oven or air-fry them.
6. Heat ⅓ cup of oil for deep frying in a small pan or tadka pan. I have used a tadka pan. Alternatively you could use a wide pan and use a heat-proof fine sieve ladle or fine mesh strainer with a handle to fry the nuts.
Add ⅓ cup of peanuts and fry them till they become crisp and crunchy. Stir often while frying.
7. Remove them with a slotted spoon. Place in another dish or bowl. You can also place them on kitchen paper towels to absorb any extra oil.
8. Now add ¼ cup dry coconut slices till they become crisp and light golden or golden.
9. Remove them with a slotted spoon. Place in the same dish or bowl where you placed fried peanuts.
10. Now fry the ⅓ cup of roasted chana dal for some seconds, till they become crisp. Do not brown them.
11. Remove them with a slotted spoon. Place in the same dish or bowl.
12. Then fry ⅓ cup of cashews till they become crisp.
13. Remove the cashews with a slotted spoon. Place in the same dish or bowl.
14. Lastly, fry 2 tablespoons of raisins till they swell and become plump.
15. Remove the raisins with a slotted spoon. Place in the same dish or bowl where other fried nuts are placed.
Temper and Make Poha Chivda
16. Now heat ½ tablespoon of oil in the same pan or kadai in which the poha flakes were roasted.
Lower the heat. Add 12 to 14 curry leaves, 2 chopped green chilies and a generous pinch of asafoetida (hing).
17. Stir and sauté, till the chilies and curry leaves become crisp. Sauté on a low heat.
18. Then add ¼ turmeric powder and 1 to 1.5 teaspoons salt or add salt as per taste.
19. Now add 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar.
20. Stir and sauté on low heat till the sugar begins to caramelize. Take care not to burn.
Note: If you you do not want to caramelize the powdered sugar, then simply mix it with the rest of the ground spices and herbs.
21. Then add the roasted poha along with the fried ingredients – peanuts, raisins, cashews and chana dal.
Shake the pan so that everything gets mixed. Do not stir but you can gently fold the ingredients together if needed.
22. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes. Continue to gently shake and mix the chivda.
23. Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the hot stovetop. Let the poha chivda sit in the hot pan for 1 to 2 minutes more.
24. Then transfer the poha chivda to another plate and let it cool at room temperature. Once cooled, serve right away as a snack or store in an airtight container to enjoy later.
Fried Poha Chivda Recipe
Among many variations of making chivda, this recipe makes use of thick poha or aval (flattened rice), dry fruits and spices and is a Maharashtrian version.
I have skipped adding coconut slices in this one. If you like you can add them.
All the ingredients are fried and this frying obviously makes everything crisp and crunchy and nonetheless they taste delicious too.
For a low-calorie version you can check the step-by-step photo guide of the roasted poha chivda recipe shared above.
Prep Chivda Ingredients
1. First measure and take all the ingredients and keep them in individual bowls or plates.
2. Rinse the cashews, raisins (my habit to rinse both of these every time) and curry leaves. Dry them in a clean kitchen towel.
Fry Poha
3. Heat oil till its moderately hot in a kadai. Take half of the thick poha first in a fine sieve or a wired mesh strainer, that is heat proof. Make sure that the fine sieve or mesh strainer has a handle.
Immerse the fine sieve ladle in the hot oil and fry the poha till they expand and become crisp. Don’t brown the poha. I have used red poha.
4. For even frying you can stir with a spoon.
5. Remove and drain the poha on a plate lined with a paper towel.
Fry Lentils, Nuts
6. Same way take the roasted chana and fry in the oil till they become crisp. Just for some seconds as they are already roasted.
7. Drain on another plate lined with a paper towel.
8. Same way fry the peanuts till crisp and crunchy.
9. Drain them too.
10. Fry the cashews till light golden.
11. Drain the cashews too.
12. Next come in the raisins.
13. Just fry till they become plump and swell. Don’t fry more as they become dense and chewy.
14. Drain the plump raisins.
15. Fry the curry leaves also the same way till they crisp. A few seconds. Drain.
Make Poha Chivda Recipe
16. Heat 1 teaspoon oil and crackle the mustard seeds. Add the cumin and sesame seeds. Fry for some seconds and then add turmeric, red chili powder, asafoetida, finely granulated sugar or powdered sugar and salt. Mix well.
17. Add the fried poha, peanuts, cashew nuts, raisins, chana dal. Crush the fried curry leaves on top. Stir well and roast for 2 to 3 minutes on a low flame. Continue to stir in between.
Check the taste of chiwva mixture and then add more salt or sugar or red chili powder if required.
Once the mixture has cooled, Store it in an air-tight container. Serve chivda whenever required as a tea time snack.
Expert Tips
- These are mildly spiced sweet and savory chivda recipes. You can alter the spices as per your liking.
- When making a namkeen recipe or chiwda with poha or corn flakes or grated potatoes, always use a fine sieve ladle. In Indian markets we get these sieve with a handle and they are very helpful for frying ingredients which have small pieces or flakes. Just one equipment makes the frying process easy and a breeze. So you don’t waste time and energy trying to find out the rice flakes or the chana dal in the oil.
- This cooking process requires a bit of planning. So keep all the ingredients ready.
- Also line two to three plates or bowls with paper towels.
- The sieve should be dry and so the ingredients. You will be frying everything one after the other, so the prep works help and is efficient too.
FAQs
What is the best pan to use for preparing roasted poha chivda?
Use a thick bottomed pan or kadai with handles. This will help you to sauté or roast the ingredients without burning.
Why did my thin poha break?
Because the thin rice flakes are delicate, make sure that stir the chivda gently while tossing and shaking the pan. Always gently stir and toss, shake the pan to combine the ingredients.
Why did my chivda burn?
When cooking on the stovetop you need to be sure to keep the heat on low. High heat will quickly burn the poha and goodies.
How long does homemade poha chivda last?
The chivda made with this recipe will keep well for up to a week at room temperature. Be sure to let the mixture cool completely before transferring to an airtight container.
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 2 cups poha thin variety, (aval or flattened rice)
- ⅓ cup peanuts
- ⅓ cup roasted chana dal (roasted split and hulled chickpeas)
- ⅓ cup cashews
- ¼ cup chopped dry coconut slices – optional
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
- ⅓ cup oil – can use peanut oil or sunflower oil
For tempering
- 14 to 15 curry leaves
- 2 green chilies – sliced or chopped
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 generous pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 2 teaspoons powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar, add as required
- 1 to 1.5 teaspoons salt or add as required
- ½ tablespoon oil – for tempering, can use peanut oil or sunflower oil
Instructions
Roasting poha
- Measure all the ingredients and keep them separately in a plate or bowl.
- Heat a wide, thick bottomed pan or kadai with a handle.
- Keep the flame to a low. Then add 2 cups of thin poha or rice flakes in it.
- Roast the poha. Gently stir and shake the pan so that the poha gets evenly roasted, as a thorough constant stirring with a spoon might break the poha. Since they are papery, light and delicate.
- Within 3 to 4 minutes the poha flakes will change their texture and become crisp. Don’t roast the poha on a high flame. Since on a high flame, the poha may get browned or burned.
- Don’t brown the poha. Remove the roasted poha on a plate and place aside.
Frying dry fruits, nuts and lentils
- Heat oil for deep frying in a small pan or tadka pan. I have used a tadka pan. Alternatively you could use a wide pan and use a heat-proof fine sieve ladle or fine mesh strainer with handle to fry the nuts.
- Add peanuts and fry them till they become crisp. Remove them with a slotted spoon. Place in another dish or bowl.
- Now add the dry coconut slices till they become crisp and light golden or golden. Remove them with a slotted spoon. Place in the same dish or bowl where you placed fried peanuts.
- Now fry the roasted chana dal for some seconds, till they become crisp. Remove them with a slotted spoon. Place in the same dish or bowl.
- Similarly fry cashews till they become crisp. Remove the cashews with a slotted spoon. Place in the same dish or bowl.
- Lastly fry 2 tablespoon of raisins till they swell and become plump in size. Remove the raisins with a slotted spoon. Place in the same dish or bowl where other fried nuts are placed.
Tempering and making chivda
- Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in the same pan or kadai in which the poha flakes were roasted. Lower the flame. Add curry leaves, green chilies and a generous pinch of asafoetida.
- Stir and saute, till the chilies and curry leaves become crisp. Saute on a low flame.
- Then add sprinkle ¼ turmeric powder and 1 to 1.5 teaspoons salt or add salt as per taste.
- Now add 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar.
- On a low flame, stir till the powdered sugar till it is mixed evenly or starts caramelizing.
- Then add the roasted poha along with the fried ingredients – peanuts, raisins, cashews and chana dal. Shake the pan so that everything gets mixed. If stirring, the stir gently and lightly.
- Roast for 4 to 5 minutes. Preferably shake and mix the chivda mixture by shaking the pan. If stirring, then gently stir. Don't apply too much force while stirring else the poha flakes might break.
- Switch off the flame. Let the poha chivda sit in the hot pan for 1 to 2 mins more.
- Then remove the poha chivda in another plate and let it cool at room temperature. Once cooled, then store in an air-tight box and container. It keeps well for about a week.
- Serve the chivda as a tea time snack.
Notes
- For a gluten-free chivda or namkeen recipe, either skip asafoetida or use gluten-free asafoetida that has not been processed with wheat.
- Add less or more of the spices and seasonings according to your taste preferences.
- You can easily double or triple this chivda recipe.
- When the chivda cools at room temperature, then immediately store in an air-tight container or jar so that the poha does not soften.
Nutrition
Fried Poha Chivda
Ingredients
Method
- First rinse the curry leaves, cashews and raisins.
- Dry them in a clean kitchen towel.
- Measure all the ingredients and keep them separately in a plate or bowl.
- Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or wok. Take a heat-proof fine sieve with a handle or a fine mesh strainer with handle.
- Place half of the poha or rice flakes in it. immerse the sieve with the poha in the medium hot oil.
- Fry till they expand and become crisp. Don't brown them.
- Remove the fried poha on a plate lined with paper towel.
- Place the sieve on a dry plate. Add the remaining poha in it.
- Again keep the sieve with the poha in the hot oil and fry till they are crisp.
- Drain them in the same plate.
- Next add the chana dal in the sieve and fry them for some seconds till they become crisp.
- Drain on another plate.
- In the same way fry the peanuts, cashewnuts, raisins, coconut slices and curry leaves.
- Keep all of them separately in a same plate or in separate plates or bowls, lined with paper towels.
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil in another pan. First add the mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds crackle.
- Then add the cumin and sesame seeds. Let the sesame seeds crackle and change color slightly.
- Switch off the flame. Add the turmeric powder, red chili powder, asafoetida.
- Stir and now add sugar and salt.
- Stir and switch on the flame and add all the fried ingredients – poha, peanuts, raisins, cashews and chana dal. Stir well.
- Crush the fried and crisp curry leaves and add them to the chiwda mixture.
- Stir well and roast for 2 to 3 minutes on a low flame. Continue to stir in between.
- Check the taste of chiwda mixture and then add more salt or sugar or red chili powder if required.
- Let the mixture cool and then store in an air-tight box and container.
- Serve the chivda or namkeen as a tea time snack.
Notes
- You can easily increase the quantity to ½ or 1 cup more, in case you want to have more of the poha and less of the dry fruits.
- The recipe can be scaled easily.
- Add less or more of the spices, sugar and salt as you prefer.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!This Chivda Recipe from the archives, first published in October 2016 has been republished and updated on 21 Oct 2022.
I tired and made the roasted version 3 times now. It has come out nice always. However, have to be extremely careful while putting salt as it becomes salty soon, so put less than mentioned quantity during second and third attempts.
When I caramelised the sugar and added the rest of ingredients, the sugar turned hard , formed lumps and did not mix with rest of the ingredients. Where did I go wrong?
seema, the sugar has cooked too much. just cook it till it melts and then add the roasted ingredients. hope this helps.
Hello dassana. Do i need to soak chana daal overnight. I doubt it may still be undercooked with this quick frying.
huner, this is roasted chana dal. its easily available in shops. roasted chana dal can be just lightly roasted again or fried till they become crisp. soaked chana dal will become hard once you fry them. they won’t be crisp.
Happi diwali mam n i luv ur recipes & u.you are awesome
thank you savi. wish you too a happy and prosperous diwali.
A lovely recipe just in time for Diwali. Just made a big batch of this, dry roasted the peanuts, I did not add cashew and raisins due to personal preference, next time will try with amchur as another reviewer suggested.
The sugar in chivda makes the difference, or it could be my Maharastrian taste buds:)) , brings a touch of home at a time when I am away from it.
A very Happy Diwali to both of you and your family, hope to see some amazing recipes in the New Year.
thank you anu. i so agree on the sugar part. festive snacks and sweets does remind one of the nostalgic memories that festivals are all about. amchur just gives a bit of tang. since i do not use citric acid, i have added amchur.
a happy diwali to you and your family too. i hope to add some well known and some lesser known recipes from other indian states.
Hi Amit, 2 cups Poha would be how many grams ? I have got a kilo of poha and need to adjust all the other ingredients accordingly hence the question.
Thank you in advance ! ??
it would be roughly around 250 grams. welcome.
Thanks a lot Amit !
I love your recipes they always come out as mentioned ! ? Good luck and keep inventing ! Happy Diwali !
thank you anahita. happy diwali to you too.
Hi,
Is this 1 cup poha or 2 cups?
its 2 cups poha. thanks jaya. thats a typo and i have updated the post.
Thank you Dassana for posting this poha chivda at this time
I thought about it some time ago. This recipe sounds good to me. The photo also looks excellent.
welcome jan. do give a try. for a a less oil fry recipe, you can dry roast the nuts and chana dal. raisins need not be roasted, they can just be added directly while tempering.
I love your receipe and this app is very useful..it’s very easy and yummies…I make most of ur receipe at home…most of the time I see ur receipe and then make anything..thnxxxxx for such easy veg receipe…
welcome ranjana and thanks a lot.
the look is amazing….
thanks.
Have no words to thank you for making me a better cook.I keep on experimenting new dishes n all of them turn out b super..tried beetroot halwa.It was just amazing. Will try this one for sure n looking forward for some broccoli n winter dishes. Wishing u success n loads of love
thanks a lot neetu. nice to read your comment as well as the feedback on the recipes you have tried so far. i do plan to add broccoli and some winter recipes.
Dear Dassana,
Thanks for sharing all the easy to cook and equally delicious recipes with us. I only follow your recipes now as I have tried and tested and they come out well each time. My mother in law was impressed by sambar (your tiffin sambar) and now my husband prefers my sambar (your tiffin sambar) over his moms! You are my best kept secret ?. I tried the chivda and it came out good. I did modify it a bit (doubled the amount for the cashew, peanuts, Chana dal and raisins and quadrupled the amount of poha and adjusted the chili accordingly. My mom adds citric acid crystals which I did not have so I added 1 1/2 tsp amchur powder and kept the sugar amount the same as your recipe). It turned out ok I think. My mother in law and rest of the family still have to try this. I will let you know if the liked it. Thank you so much for inspiring me to cook. So far I have made, the spicy shankar pale, potato sev and chivda. God bless you always. You are truly blessed by Mother Annapurna. Stay blessed my dear. Happy Diwali in advance.
thank you much nita. best is too keep the secret and not let it out.
yes some folks do add citric acid, for that tang. adding amchur powder is also a good idea. do let me know if they like the chiwda.
wish you too a happy diwali.