Chivda or poha chivda 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 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 – Thick poha chivda recipe (crispy but fried version).
Few more chivda recipes
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.
How to make chivda
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
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 tablespoons 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.
More Diwali dry snacks
Chivda Recipe
Ingredients
main ingredients for poha chivda
- 2 cups thin red or white poha (aval or flattened rice)
- ⅓ cup peanuts
- ⅓ cup roasted chana dal (roasted split chickpeas)
- ⅓ cup cashews
- ¼ cup chopped dry coconut slices - optional
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
- ⅓ cup oil - for deep frying. can use peanut oil or sunflower oil
for tempering poha chivda
- 14 to 15 curry leaves
- 2 green chilies - sliced or chopped
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 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. can use peanut oil or sunflower oil
Instructions
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 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 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 mixing poha 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 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.
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.