"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. But yes, I would like to mention here 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.
** Thick beaten rice / poha is available both in white and red varieties. The white one’s are prepared from polished rice while the 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 that 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. Decades back they were not available much as they were no buyers, but we did get them in Goa and we used to bring them home whenever we visited Goa as my Kuladevi Temple ie Mahalasa Narayani Temple is in Mardol, Goa and we try our level best to visit as often as possible. But luckily now it is available almost everywhere as people have become more health conscious.
** Here is my method of preparing "Spicy White~Red Beaten Rice (Poha/Pova/Avalakki) Chivda (Mixture) with lots of nuts" … my way …
** By and large I always use Microwave method for roasting for the last 8 years as I have issues with neck and spine and too much of stirring triggers the pain. So my loyal friend in the kitchen are my gadgets, and I am happy that they are in existence as otherwise I could never have coped with all these cooking I do on daily basis. They are a boon to people like me who want to do so much, but have to hold back for health reasons. I roasted the beaten corn, putani (roasted gram), ground nuts in the microwave and then seasoned them in kadai and the whole process was simply a breeze work. Just add in a tablespoon of freshly grated coconut to each serving plate and serve them whenever hunger hits your tummy.
** Roasting the Putani / Roasted Gram : Add in half a cup again in a glassware microwave dish and microwave it on high till 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 : Add half a cup of peanuts in the same glassware microwave dish and microwave it on high till done. This will take slightly more time than the above two, say maximum about 5-6 minutes. Keep this also ready aside.
** Deep Frying of White and Red Beaten Rice / Poha : Sieve both the red and the white beaten poha separately on a medium hole sized sieve so that the small broken pieces or the powder etc. and sieved off. This is important as when we deep fry these particles become nuisance and may be burned out too 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, but if you do mix them too not to worry, there is no problem whatsoever as the end product is hardly noticeable.
** Heat plenty of oil in a large thick bottomed kadai, to smoking hot level, then lower the heat to medium and wait for a few minutes. Add in one or two poha particles into the oil, if it burns out wait for a few minutes, but if it puff up well immediately the oil heat is perfect, also do keep the same temperature constant till you finish off frying all of the beaten rice. Add in a handful of white poha into the 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 too as many do.
** When using the strainer method, many people put the poha in the sieve itself which does have a long handle. The strainer portion is then gently dipped into the hot oil, whiling seeing to it that all the poha remains within the strainer and get puffed up in oil in the strainer itself. Use the ringed spatula method, so I add a handful into the oil and then remove it with the same. Gently shake the strainer or ringed spatula taking care to see that most of the excess oil gets drained back into the kadai. Now put the strained puffed fried poha on a large plate lined with absorbent paper and continue with the remaining beaten rice / poha till done.
** Note : Remember to use only handful of the beaten rice / poha only each time you want to deep fry the same. 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.
** Preparing of the "Spicy White~Red Beaten Rice (Poha/Pova/Avalakki) Chivda (Mixture) with lots of nuts" : Heat about 3 tblsp of coconut oil (you can use any oil) in a kadai, when hot add in 2 tsp of mustard seeds (sasam / rai), when it begins to splutter, lower the heat to minimum and add in half a cup of cashew nut pieces and fry till the color changes slightly, then add in half a cup of raisins (dry grapes) and continue to fry for few minutes.
** Now add in 20-25 fresh curry leaves, ½ tsp of haldi (turmeric powder), 1.5 tsp of hing powder, 15-20 green chillies slit lengthwise and cut to pieces and fry for a few seconds. Add in the roasted putani and groundnuts along with salt to taste, about 1-2 tblsp of sugar powder and mix well. Now mix in the required amount of this seasoning to both the white and red deep fried beaten rice / poha separately and mix them well and allow them to cool before you put them in an airtight container separately and store away.
** "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 to each serving in plates, mix well and serve the same. This one comes in handy if prepared and stored when guests drop in unannounced or whenever you feel hunger pangs. Children are always feeling hungry and want to munch up on something, 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.
** Note : You can add in any nuts like almonds too, to the mixture. You can also cut thin slices of three inches of coconut and fry them in oil in seasoning and then add on to the chivda too, I have not added it as we do not like it very much.
** An Earnest Request : There are many more recipes of different types in the blog. For all my Recipes, use the search option or the label section in the Blog. If you are still not able to find it or have a query, please leave a message in comment section or mail me the same. I will try my best to get back to you as soon as possible. Do try out various types of dishes included in the Blog and Enjoy them with your family and friends and do give me a feedback if possible. I have also started a food group for by the name "KONKANI DELICACIES" where in you will find many more recipes by members and you too can share some of your own. The link to the group is posted on the left side of the blog page. Do join us in our culinary journey. I strongly believe in Sharing and always endorse that "Sharing Is Caring" … Thank You ….
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