Thin poha chivda (Maharashtrian style) / Kachcha chiwda / Roasted poha chiwda

Kachcha chivda is a maharashtrian style quick and tasty snack made from thin poha. I learnt this from an aunty who is from Maharashtra. 

INGREDIENTS:

• Thin white poha (Paper aval) - 3 cups
• Roasted gram (pottukadalai) - 1 tablespoon
• Peanuts - 1 tablespoon
• Dry coconut slices - 1 tablespoon
• Cashews and raisins - optional
• Curry leaves - few
• Green chilly - sliced or chopped - 2
• Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp.
• Hing powder - a generous pinch 
• Powdered sugar - 1/4 tsp. optional
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - to fry and temper

METHOD:

Heat a  thick bottomed pan or kadai. It is better to have a kadai with handle. The poha will be very thin like a paper and stirring continuously to roast them may break the poha. 

Keep the flame to low ( DO NOT roast in high flame) and add thin poha. Roast by gently shaking the pan until the poha is crisp, transfer to a plate and keep aside.

In a small pan, heat oil and fry, peanuts until crisp. Transfer it to the plate. Similarly, fry roasted gram add coconut pieces separately until crisp. 

Heat a tablespoon of oil in the same kadai, add curry leaves, green chillies, hing, saute well, finally add turmeric powder, salt to taste and sugar powder. Give a quick stir and add the roasted poha, and other fried items and mix gently without breaking the poha.  Switch off the flame and  allow the chivda in the hot kadai for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer it to a wide plate. When cool store in an air-tight container. This is an excellent tea-time snack too.

Khoya barfi / Mawa burfi

I had been busy these days shifting my house to Coimbatore. Being literally tied up & busy with personal works. Some of my readers asked me to post some easy Diwali sweets / savouries recipes. So I thought of posting a very easy to make, quick burfi recipe, which has been laying in my drafts since long. Khoya barfi or mawa barfi can be made within 15 minutes. I will get back to blogging soon.

INGREDIENTS:

• Khoya - 2 cups (unsweetened) 
• Sugar - 1/2 cup 
• Cardamom - 2 (powdered)
• Cashew - 6 (optional)
• Milk - 2 tbsp
• Ghee - 1 tsp 
• Pistachios - to garnish
• A few drops of rose water or any essence - optional

METHOD:

• Bring khoya to room temperature. Grate or crumble it before measuring.
• Grease a plate with ghee and keep it ready. 
• Soak cashews in hot water for half an hour and  grind it to a thick paste along with milk.
• Slice pistachios and keep ready.
• Heat a heavy bottomed /non stick pan, add ghee. When it melts, add crumbled khoya, cashew paste and sugar.  Mix well, keep the stove to a medium flame and stir continuously until sugar dissolves and the mixture becomes sticky. 
• Add cardamom powder, mix well and stir continuously in medium-low flame until the mixture comes together like a mass. There will be a slight change in the color. 
• Pour the mixture in the greased plate. Level it to 1/2" thick with a greased wooden spatula . Garnish with few sliced pistachios on top.
• Leave it to cool down. Once set, cut into desired shapes. Store khoya barfi in an air-tight container.

Kara boondi / Spicy boondi

Kara boondi is a spicy, tasty and popular anytime snack made especially during Diwali.

INGREDIENTS:

• Gram flour / Besan flour - 1 cup
• Rice flour - 1/4 cup
• Turmeric powder - a generous pinch
• Red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp.
• Hing - 1/8 tsp.
• Salt - as needed (approx. 1/2 tsp. more or less)
• Cooking soda - 1 pinch (optional, I did not use)
• Peanuts - 1 tablespoon
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Ghee - 1 tsp.
• Oil - to deep fry
• Perforated ladles

METHOD:

Sieve gram flour and rice flour. Take a broad bowl, add the sieved flour, turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt, hing and mix well. Add a tablespoon of  hot oil, mix well. Add water little by little and make a batter of pouring consistency, slightly thinner than dosa batter consistency. Whisk well without any lumps. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadai. Take the perforated ladle, hold it little high above the oil. Pour about 1/2 cup of batter into the ladle. Tap it lightly so that the batter will drop into the oil. Alternatively, you can use another ladle to spread the batter. Fry in medium flame. When the oil stops sizzling, fry for few more seconds until the boondis become golden and crispy. Drain with another slotted ladle and place the boondis in a kitchen tissue to absorb the excess oil. Wipe the perforated ladle on both sides with a paper towel after each batch, so that the  holes are not clogged. Repeat the process with the remaining batter.

In a pan heat ghee and fry peanuts until crisp. Add curry leaves. Stir fry with a spoon. Switch off the flame. Add it to the boondi and toss well.  Spicy Kara boondi is ready. When cool, store in an airtight container.

Variation:

1. Ghee-fried cashews can also be added.

2. Instead of adding chilli powder in the batter, you can sprinkle it on the fried boondis and toss it well.

3. Boondhis can be done without chilli powder

4. Pepper powder can be substituted for chilli powder and sprinkled finally to the fried boondhis. 

TIP: If the batter is watery, boondhis will be flat. Add little besan. If the batter is very thick, boondis will become dense. To check the batter consistency, dip the handle of a spoon into the boondi batter and let it drip into hot oil and see if the boondi shape is round, crisp and perfect.