I’m learning to cook my mom’s specialities. This particular dish (pronounced “chew-da”) is a good afternoon snack. I ate it everyday after school. For years and years. To this day, Ma puts a bag or two in my suitcase when I visit. It screams “childhood.” My childhood. Probably not yours.
Every family in India will have a different recipe for this. Here’s my family’s version.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/2 cup peanuts
- 5 cups of rice crispies type of cereal
- 2 cups of cornflakes type of cereal
- 1 cup of cheerios type of cereal
- 15-20 dried curry leaves
- One large dehydrated onion. This is what makes the chivda. You cut up the onion, put it in a food dehydrator for however long it tells you and then it comes out the other side looking like this.
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Dehydrated Onions
Spices
- 1/2 tsp each:
- cumin seeds
- mustard seeds
- 1 tsp each:
- coriander powder
- salt
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp of garam masala
- 2 tbspn sesame seeds
Directions
1. Pour oil in a pot on the stove.
2. Add in the mustard, cumin seeds and peanuts.
3. Let cook until it looks done. Kind of like this.
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Peanuts. Cooked in oil for a few minutes.
4. In a large bowl, mix the cereals together well.
5. Scoop out the peanuts you just cooked and add it to the cereal. Don’t add in the oil or the seeds yet.
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Peanuts and cereal, unmixed.
6. Put the oil back on the stove.
7. Add in the cumin leaves, the sesame seeds and the dehydrated onions.
8. Cook for like, a minute. The onions will puff up. They’re ready super fast. Don’t let them burn.
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Fried previously dried onions
9. Add in the powder spices.
10. Shut the stove off and mix well.
11. Pour the mixture over the cereal and peanuts.
12. Mix well.
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Chivda!
My favorite way to enjoy chivda is with yogurt. You can also eat with lime juice. Or use it as a substitute for bhel mix in this recipe. I have been known to put it in my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I get a weird look from family members when I do, but I just ignore them.
Acceptable Deviations
1. You can use fresh curry leaves if you don’t have dried ones.
2. You can add raisins.
3. Don’t buy a food dehydrator just for the onions. Although, it really does make it pretty delicious.
drop the yogurt, add in your taco bell hot sauce & voila (you travel with super bowl snacks.)!
Very timely, especially your mom’s warning about burning…
I can attest to the deliciousness of this fabulous mix. Yum!!
Best served with a cousin’s wet palm!