I am constantly on the lookout for tasty and healthy snacks. It is a bonus when I get a snack that uses convenient and easily accessible ingredients. While clearing out my pantry, I noticed that I had a few bits of corn flakes, wheat flakes and rice crisps leftover. It immediately struck me that I could re-purpose them into a quick snack for my tea time.
Ingredients
- Corn flakes – 1 large cup (I also used wheat flakes and rice crisps, skip if you don’t have or like them)
- Poha (aval, beaten rice) – 2 cups
- Oil – ½ tblspn
- Mustard seeds – 1 tspnCumin seeds – 1 tspn
- Curry leaves – 8 to 10
- Chillies – 2 (finely chopped)
- Asafoetida – ¼ tspn
- Turmeric powder – ¼ tspn
- Sugar – 1 tspn
- Salt – 1 tspn
- Roasted gram (pottu kadalai/dalia) – 1 small handful
Directions
- In a mortar and pestle, make a fine powder of the salt and sugar separately. Keep aside.
- Pre-heat oven at 150 degree centigrade.
- While the oven is heating, in an oven safe dish, crush the cereals.
- Don’t crush them into very tiny pieces. Keep it 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, roasted gram, dry spices.
- Keep stirring it till the roasted gram has slightly browned.
- Now add the powdered citric acid, salt and sugar. Keep stirring to prevent the sugar from caramelising.
- Turn the stove off and add the mixture to the crushed cereals.
- Give the cereals and the toasted spices a mix. Place the dish in the oven at the same setting for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Keep stirring the chivda in between to prevent it from burning.
- Remove from oven, let the chivda cool before serving.
Tips:
- The temperature and cooking time vary depending on the oven. Adjust time and temperature accordingly.
