Poha is one of my favourite foods. I include poha in my meals at least once a week in form or the other. The best thing about poha is that it makes for an anytime snack/ meal. This is a quick version of the poha chivda; and the best part of it is it consumes very little oil unlike the original method and super easy to prepare.
Ingredients
- Poha (aval, beaten rice) – 2 cups
- Oil – ½ tblspn
- Mustard seeds – 1 tspn
- Cumin seeds – 1 tspn
- Curry leaves – 8 to 10
- Chillies – 2 (finely chopped)
- Asafoetida – ¼ tspn
- Turmeric powder – ¼ tspn
- Citric acid (optional) – 1/4 tspn
- Sugar – 1tspn
- Salt – 1 tspn
- Roasted gram (pottu kadalai/dalia) – 1 small handful
- Peanuts – 1 small handful
Directions
- In a mortar and pestle, make a fine powder of the citric acid, salt and sugar separately. Keep aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl, place the poha and cook it for 2 to 3 minutes in 1 minute intervals.
- This will make the poha crisp. Keep aside.
- In a kadai, heat oil.
- Add mustard and cumin seeds and let it splutter. Add the curry leaves and cut chillies.
- Turn the flame to medium-low and keep stirring the ingredients to prevent it from burning.
- Let the moisture leave the chillies and curry leaves.
- Now, add the peanuts, roasted gram, dry spices.
- Keep stirring it till the raw peanuts and roasted gram have slightly browned.
- Now add the powdered salt and sugar. Keep stirring to prevent the sugar from caramelising.
- Toss in the microwave-cooked poha into the kadai and give it a mix to combine all the ingredients.
- Keep stirring for a minute. Turn off the stove and serve.
Tips:
- You could add other spices like chaat masala, aamchur or black salt to suit your preference.
- Citric acid or lemon salt as it is commonly called gives this snack a hint of tang.
- If you intend to store it for future use, wait for the chivda to cool before putting into an air-tight container.
- I have used thick poha, you could do the same with thin poha.
