poha chivda recipe with step by step photos. a maharashtrian style quick and tasty dry snack made from thin poha (flattened rice), dry fruits, peanuts, and spices. this version of poha chivda is made mostly during diwali festival as a savory dry snack.
this poha chivda is mildly spiced. it has the crisp texture from the roasted poha along with the nuttiness from the peanuts and cashews. preparing chivda during diwali is one easy task as the recipe is simple and a quick one.
just gather all the ingredients. then roast the poha, fry the dry fruits, temper the masala and assemble. the chivda is ready in less than 20 to 25 minutes.
this chivda is made from thin poha and not thick poha. chivda is also made from thick poha and i have shared one such recipe before – poha chivda recipe (crispy but fried version).
few more chivda recipes are:
some important points to bear in mind while roasting thin poha:
- firstly use a heavy thick bottomed pan or kadai with handles and roast on a low flame.
- instead of stirring, the poha should be tossed and shaken in the pan by shaking the pan. if stirred too much the thin, delicate, papery poha break.
- do not roast on a high flame as then the poha will get burnt or browned and break.
after the poha chivda cools at room temperature, store in an air-tight container or box. it should last for a month.
chivda can be served as a snack or you can prepare it as a part of the diwali faraal.
if you are looking for more diwali dry snacks then do check
poha chivda recipe
ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)
main ingredients for poha chivda
- 2 cups thin red or white poha (aval or flattened rice)
- ⅓ cup peanuts (moongphali)
- ⅓ cup roasted chana dal (roasted bengal gram)
- ⅓ cup cashews (kaju)
- ¼ cup chopped dry coconut slices - optional
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins (kishmish)
- ⅓ cup of oil for frying
for tempering poha chivda
- 14 to 15 curry leaves (kadi patta)
- 2 green chilies - sliced or chopped (hari mirch)
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
- a generous pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- 2 teaspoons sugar or powdered sugar
- 1 to 1.5 teaspoons salt or add as required
- ½ tablespoon oil for tempering
how to make poha chivda recipe
roasting poha for chivda recipe
- 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 shake the pan so that the poha gets evenly roasted, as 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 for poha chivda
- heat 1/3 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 fine sieve ladle to fry the nuts.
- add 1/3 cup of peanuts and fry them till they become crisp. remove them with a slotted spoon. place in another dish or bowl.
- now add ¼ cup 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 1/3 cup of 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 1/3 cup of 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 mixing poha chivda
- heat 1/2 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 or sugar.
- on a low flame, stir till the powdered sugar 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.
- saute for 4 to 5 minutes. preferably shake & 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.
serve the chivda as a tea time snack.
how to make poha chivda recipe
1. measure all the ingredients and keep them separately in a plate or bowl.
2. heat a wide, thick bottomed pan or kadai with a handle.
3. keep the flame to a low. then add 2 cups of thin poha or rice flakes in it.
4. roast the poha. gently shake the pan so that the poha gets evenly roasted, as constant stirring with a spoon might break the poha. since they are papery, light and delicate.
5. 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.
6. remove the roasted poha on a plate and place aside.
frying dry fruits for chivda recipe
7. 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 fine sieve ladle to fry the nuts.
8. add ⅓ cup of peanuts and fry them till they become crisp and crunchy.
9. remove them with a slotted spoon. place in another dish or bowl.
10. now add ¼ cup dry coconut slices till they become crisp and light golden or golden.
11. remove them with a slotted spoon. place in the same dish or bowl where you placed fried peanuts.
12. now fry the ⅓ cup of roasted chana dal for some seconds, till they become crisp.
13. remove them with a slotted spoon. place in the same dish or bowl.
14. similarly fry ⅓ cup of cashews till they become crisp.
15. remove the cashews with a slotted spoon. place in the same dish or bowl.
16. lastly fry 2 tablespoon of raisins till they swell and become plump in size.
17. remove the raisins with a slotted spoon. place in the same dish or bowl where other fried nuts are placed.
tempering and mixing poha chivda
18. heat ½ tablespoon of oil in the same pan or kadai in which the poha flakes were roasted. lower the flame. add 12 to 14 curry leaves and 2 chopped green chilies.
19. add a generous pinch of asafoetida.
20. stir and saute, till the chilies and curry leaves become crisp. saute on a low flame.
21. then add ¼ turmeric powder and 1 to 1.5 teaspoons salt or add salt as per taste.
22. now add 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar or sugar.
23. on a low flame, stir till the powdered sugar starts caramelizing.
24. 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.
25. saute for 4 to 5 minutes. preferably shake & 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.
26. switch off the flame. let the poha chiwda sit in the hot pan for 1 to 2 minutes more.
27. 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. serve the chivda as a tea time snack.
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.