"Spicy White~ Red Beaten Rice (Poha/ Pova/ Avalakki) Chivda (Mixture) with lots of nuts" ... Diwali without chooda is simply not done ... This time I prepared them by deep frying method out of both white and red poha, though there is not much difference is appearance the red ones turned out crispier ... Enjoy these with some chilled drink and have a lovely Diwali ....
** Poha or Povu ie Beaten Rice Chivda/ Chiwda/ Chooda/ Mixture is something prepared always at home to munch on whenever one feels hungry. It is mostly prepared in every home during the Diwali festival and I have included a few of them before too. Somehow, to my dismay I found that this one was posted on my page and group but never got blogged. Diwali was one hectic period and somehow I must have missed editing this one. Do excuse the same. I will not run into much details about chivda/ chiwda/ chooda / mixture here as I have already written enough in my previous posts and you can just use the search option or the label on the blog to reach the same.
** I would like to mention that usually I prepare the same with thin beaten rice/ poha/ pova and in my 30 years of married life I might have prepared it with thick beaten poha/ pova may be 4-5 times that’s it. That is so because the thick beaten rice / poha is supposed to be deep fried in hot oil and sometimes if not done so at correct heat temperature of the oil, it can become soggy or oily too. But this time my hubby insisted that I prepare the same and also I wanted to make a post of it so I went ahead and prepared the same with both white and red poha and they tasted awesome, perfectly fried and not at all oily. Off course little bit of oil does remains as is the case with oily snacks.
** Thick beaten rice/ poha is available in white and red varieties. The white one’s are prepared from polished rice while red one is from unpolished red rice. The red variety is slightly sweeter and since it is prepared from unpolished red rice it is considered to be much more healthier, in fact nowadays people have even started using red unpolished rice for consumption, though it takes a little bit more time in cooking and needs practice too. I buy the red rice poha / beaten rice that is organic and sold in malls extensively. I prepare many types of breakfast dishes using it. Again, I suggest you use search option for beaten rice or red poha and you will find many recipes with inclusion of the same.
** You can use red poha in place of white ones in almost every recipe wherein you use the white ones. Isn’t it interesting, I have prepared, usli, bhakri and even included them while grinding dosa batter and they have all turned out fantastic, in fact they are much more crispier. Decades back they were not available in Mumbai, I guess there were no buyers, but we did get them in Goa and we used to bring them home whenever we visited Goa my Kuladevi Shri. Mahalasa Narayani Temple, Mardol, Goa and we do try our level best to visit as often as possible. However, now it is easily available in store here as people have become aware of its health benefits, if not it is available online.
** By and large I use Microwave method for roasting for over 2 decades now as I have spine issues and too much stirring triggers pain. So my loyal friend in the kitchen are my gadgets, and I am happy that they are in existence otherwise which I could never have coped with all the cooking I do on daily basis. It's a boon to people like me who want to do so much, but have to hold back for health reasons. I microwaved putani- groundnuts in microwave and then seasoned them in kadai and the whole process was easy. To serve you can add a tablespoon of freshly grated coconut, little bit of finely chopped onions (optional), mix them well and serve them whenever hunger hits your tummy.
** Here is my method of preparing "Spicy White~ Red Beaten Rice (Poha/ Pova/ Avalakki) Chivda (Mixture) with lots of nuts" … my style …
** Roasting the Putani/ Roasted Gram : Add in half cup of "Putani/ Roasted Gram) in a microwave glassware dish and microwave it on high stirring once in between until crisp. It hardly takes a 2-3 minutes, do keep checking often or else you may burn it or over roast the same. Remove and keep this ready aside.
** Roasting of Groundnuts/ Peanuts/ Kadlo/ Shengdana : Add half a cup of peanuts/ kadlo in the same glassware microwave dish and microwave on high stirring twice in between until crisp. This will take slightly more time than the above, say maximum about 5-6 minutes. When done keep this also ready aside.
** Deep Frying of White and Red Beaten Rice/ Poha : Sieve both the red and white beaten Rice/ Poha separately on a medium hole sized sieve to sieve off the small broken pieces or the powder etc. This is important, as when we deep fry these particles become nuisance and may be burned and get mixed up with the good one and create a mess in taste as well as looks. I have used about 500 gms of each white and red poha for this recipe. Remember to keep them separate, however, do not worry if you do mix them as the end result remains same and is hardly noticeable.
** Heat plenty of oil to smoking hot in a large thick bottomed kadai/ pan, then lower the heat to medium and wait for a few minutes. Add in one or two poha particles into the oil to check temperature, if it burns immediately, wait for a few minutes, but if it puff up well without turning black the heat is perfect. Remember to keep the same temperature constant until you finish frying beaten rice. Add in a handful of white poha into oil and fry for a few minutes, that’s it, it will get puffed up crisp, when done remove it with a large ringed spatula in one go or you can even use a sieve type strainer for the same.
** The other method is to add handful of poha in sieve itself which has a long handle. It is then immersed into hot oil and held while the poha begins to get puffed up in the hot oil, when done lift the strainer, strain back excess oil and then put it over an absorbent paper. Whiling using the strainer method you should see to it that the poha remains within the strainer and get puffed up in oil in the strainer itself. Written recipes are at times not so perfectly as visuals and I am sure I am unable to add videos.
** I suggest if newbie you can watch any You Tube channel for the same, however in my opinion it is always best to take guidance of your friend, relative, neighbor for the visual procedure as learning kitchen tips is always best done by naked eyes. Always gently shake the strainer or ringed spatula when you remove the puffed poha from oil, this will take care to see that most of the excess oil gets drained back into the kadai and this step is a must. Add the strained puffed fried poha on a large plate lined with absorbent paper and continue with the remaining beaten rice / poha until done.
** Note : Remember to use only handful of beaten rice/ poha each time you deep fry the same in both methods. Also fry the white and red beaten rice separately and put them also on separate plates so that they can be prepared separately. I must mention here that both the white and red beaten rice/ poha turned out crisp and lasted that way till it was finished. Well hubby is waiting for the second batch of the same to be done, but I am taking my own sweet time and trying out other options too, soon to come up with some new verities soon, just keep a keen eye on my blog for the same.
** For the Preparation of "Spicy White~Red Beaten Rice (Poha/Pova/Avalakki) Chivda (Mixture) with lots of nuts" : Heat about 3-4 tblsp of coconut oil (nariyal tel/ narlel tela) (you can use any edible oil) in a small kadai/ pan, when hot add in 2 tsp of mustard seeds (sasam/ rai), when it begins to splutter, lower the heat to minimum and add 1/2 cup of cashew nut (kajjubi/ kaju) pieces and fry until color changes slightly. Now add 1/2 cup of raisins (dry grapes) and continue to fry for few minutes until they blow up like small balls, do not let the burn, they should be light brown in color.
** Further add in 20-25 fresh curry leaves (kadipatta/ karbevu), ½ tsp of haldi/ turmeric powder, 1-2 tsp of hing/ asafoetida powder, 15-20 green chillies (tarni mirsanga/ hari mirchi) slit lengthwise or cut to small pieces/ rings and fry for a few seconds. Now add in the roasted and kept putani and groundnuts along with salt (namak/ meeta) to taste and about 1-2 tblsp of sugar powder (sakkre pitti/ pitti shakkar), mix well and remove from fire. Now divide the tempering into two and add to the deep fried and kept red and white poha/ beaten rice/ and gently mix well using tossing method. Allow to cool to room temperature after which you can store them in an airtight container separately.
** "Spicy White~ Red Beaten Rice (Poha/ Pova/ Avalakki) Chivda (Mixture) with lots of nuts" is done and ready to be served. You can serve it as it is as a snack or you can add in some freshly grated coconut and a little bit of finely chopped onions, mix and serve if desired too. I learned this way of serving from my friend who is sadly no more and I do miss her, some people do take a special place in our hearts and its never easy to forget them, the void always remains. This chivda always comes in handy if prepared and stored anytime of the year as it can be served to guests who drop in unannounced or whenever you or anyone in family feels the hunger pangs. Children always love snacks and have artificial hunger if they know there is savories stocked at home, well, this is a healthier option even if it is deep fried compared to the ready instant food that has flooded the market now which contains chemicals. Do try it and enjoy with your family and friends.
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