Rice Krispies Chivda / Chooda

Rice Krispies Chivda is a recent try in my kitchen. The recipe was given to me by a dear friend S. Few days back I ate this snack at her place. I liked it very much and hence asked her the recipe. She gave me a box of homemade chivda along with a hand written recipe. It was so nice of her to do that. The chivda was so tasty that I finished eating it within two days. 

This Chivda is very easy to put together. It is just a three step process - Frying the nuts in tempering, adding spice powder and then finally rice krispies. There is no deep frying involved and much healthier than the store bought ones. This can be served along with your evening tea /coffee or as a 'after school snack' for your kids. Give this a try and let me know how you liked it.

Ingredients:

• Rice Krispies Cereal - 3 1/2 cups*
• Peanuts, whole - 1/4 cup
• Cashew nut, broken - 1/4 cup
• Raisins - 1/4 cup
• Oil - 2 Tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - 1 big sprig
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Salt - To taste

Spice Powder:

• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - To taste
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Amchur powder - 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida (hing) - 1/8 tsp

*The recipe called for 3 cups of cereal and 1/2 cup of sev. Since I didn't have sev on hand, I just increased the amount of cereal to 3 1/2 cups. You can also substitute other cereal like corn flakes, plain cheerios etc.

Procedure:

Heat oil in a big pan. Once hot, add mustard seeds. After it pops, add peanuts, curry leaves and cashew nuts. Once it gets slightly toasted, add in the raisins. Once they turn golden brown, lower the heat to minimum (this is necessary as high heat can burn the spices and they can taste bitter).

Now add asafoetida, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, amchur powder, sugar and salt. Mix well. Turn off the heat.

Now add the rice krispies and toss them gently until everything comes together. 

Rice Krispies Chivda is ready!

Once they cool, transfer into an air tight container.