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Kerala Mixture (Chivda)

Kerala Mixture (Chivda)

Spicy Kerala Mixture – This humble snack, in its various avatars, is a popular, omnipresent item in all bakeries and hot chips shops across Kerala. When you have guests at home for tea, the spread is not complete without a serving of mixture. Despite being a big fan of the mixture, I had never thought that one day I’ll make this at home. I had never seen anyone make this at home. It was always shop-bought, until now.

 

One weekend, my wife and I decided to give it a try. And it turned out to be way easier than we thought. This recipe is a step-by-step narrative of how we made the “spicy Kerala mixture”.

Kerala Mixture (Chivda)
Spicy Kerala Mixture (Chivda)

 

You can also make this at home. No additives, no preservatives, and no reused oil! Just a tasty, crispy snack!

Kerala Mixture (Chivda)

Spicy Mixture - This humble snack, in its various avatars, is a popular, omnipresent item in all bakeries and hot chips shops across Kerala. When you have guests at home for tea, the spread is not complete without a serving of mixture. Despite being a big fan of the mixture, I had never thought that one day I'll make this at home. You can also make this at home. No additives, no preservatives, and no reused oil! Just a tasty, crispy snack!
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time1 hr 10 mins
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Kerala
Servings: 6 portion

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup rice flour (roasted)
  • 1 cup gram flour (besan)
  • 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • As required water
  • 1/2 cup split chana dal (Bengal gram)
  • 1/2 cup peanuts
  • 1/2 cup beaten rice
  • 1/2 cup puffed rice
  • 3-4 dry red chilies
  • 1-2 sprigs curry leaves
  • To taste salt

Instructions

  • In a bowl, add roasted rice flour, gram flour*, asafoetida, turmeric powder and salt.
    Kerala Mixture (Chivda) - Ingredients
  • Mix well.
  • Start kneading the dough by adding water, a little at a time. Knead well. The consistency we are looking for is similar to, but a bit softer than, a chapati dough.
  • Heat oil** in a pan. Place the dough in a string hopper maker (idiappam mold). Use the flat noodle/ribbon disc, and press the dough into the oil.
  • Fry this, and in a few seconds it'll turn golden brown. Turn over and the fry the other side for a quick few seconds. It'll get fried quickly. If you leave it for a long time, you risk burning it.
  • Drain the fried sev with a colander, and place them in a tray lined with kitchen towels to absorb any excess oil.
  • Repeat this in small batches changing the mold discs - we use the same dough, but the various shapes in which the dough gets fried makes it a "proper" mixture.
  • Use the discs for ribbons, thin noodles, thick noodles, and murukku following steps 5 and 6. Keep some dough for making boondi.
  • To make boondi, add some water to the remaining dough. If you add too much water, it'll become runny. Add just enough water to make it a thick batter.
  • Take a perforated spoon, pour the batter through the spoon into the oil. Keep the spoon just above the oil - you don't want to splash hot oil and risk an injury. I used a grater instead of the perforated spoon.
  • Fry them for a few seconds, drain and place them in the tray along with the other sev.
  • Fry the groundnuts in the oil until they turn golden brown. Drain and place them in the tray.
  • Fry the split chick peas until they turn golden brown, drain and keep in the tray.
  • Fry the dry chilies and the curry leaves, and add them to the tray.
  • Fry the puffed rice and the flattened rice, and add to the mix.
  • Crush the sev so that there wouldn't be any big pieces in the mixture. Sprinkle a teaspoon chili powder, close the tray with a lid, and shake well to get all the ingredients evenly distributed. Check for salt. If you want to add salt, sprinkle it and shake well again.
  • Kerala mixture is ready to serve. Transfer it to a clean, dry container, and it'll stay fresh for a long time (depending on how long you are able to resist the temptation and not snack on it for two days straight).
    Kerala Mixture (Chivda)

Notes

Tips
  • Always add rice flour and gram flour in a 1:2 ratio. Take the rice flour, and add double the amount of gram flour, and add other ingredients proportionately.
  • ** To test the oil, drop a small piece of dough in the oil. If the oil is hot enough the dough will bubble and rise to the top. You can then reduce the flame.

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