Chivda or Poha Chivda is a quick and easy tea time snack made with poha (flattened rice), dry fruits, peanuts, and spices.

There are many variations of making this popular snacks also called as farsan or namkeen. In this post I am sharing two such delicious versions.

• Roasted Poha Chivda made with Thin Poha – Healthier Version
• Fried Version made with Thick Poha – More Crispy & Tasty

Both the recipes are shared with step by step photos and taste good. You can choose the one as per your liking whether you want the healthier roasted version or fried crispy version.

About Roasted Thin Poha Chivda

This is a Maharashtrian style quick and tasty dry snack made from thin poha (flattened rice), dry fruits, peanuts, and spices. A healthy vegan snack that tastes too good as a evening snack.

This version of poha chivda is made mostly during Diwali festival as a savory dry snack.

This chivda is mildly spiced. It has the crisp texture from the roasted poha along with the nuttiness from the peanuts and cashews. Preparing chivda during Diwali is one easy task as the recipe is simple and a quick one.

Just gather all the ingredients. Then roast the poha, fry the dry fruits, temper the masala and assemble. The chivda is ready in less than 20 to 25 minutes.

This chivda is made from thin poha and not thick poha. Chivda is also made from thick poha and you can find the fried thick poha chivda recipe at the end of this post.

Few more chivda recipes

Some important points to bear in mind while roasting thin poha:

• Firstly use a heavy thick bottomed pan or kadai with handles and roast on a low flame.
• Instead of stirring, the poha should be tossed and shaken in the pan by shaking the pan. If stirred too much the thin, delicate, papery poha break.
• Do not roast on a high flame as then the poha will get burnt or browned and break.

After the poha chivda cools at room temperature, store in an air-tight container or box. It should last for a month.

Chivda can be served as a snack or you can prepare it as a part of the Diwali faraal.

How to make Chivda

1. Measure all the ingredients and keep them separately in a plate or bowl.

2. Heat a wide, thick bottomed pan or kadai with a handle. Keep the flame to a low. Then add 2 cups of thin poha or rice flakes in it.

3. Roast the poha. Gently shake the pan so that the poha gets evenly roasted, as constant stirring with a spoon might break the poha. Since they are papery, light and delicate.

4. Within 3 to 4 minutes the poha flakes will change their texture and become crisp. Don’t roast the poha on a high flame. Since on a high flame, the poha may get browned or burned. don’t brown the poha.

5. Remove the roasted poha on a plate and place aside.

Frying dry fruits for chivda

6. Heat ⅓ cup of oil for deep frying in a small pan or tadka pan. I have used a tadka pan. Alternatively you could use a wide pan and use a fine sieve ladle to fry the nuts. Add ⅓ cup of peanuts and fry them till they become crisp and crunchy.

7. Remove them with a slotted spoon. Place in another dish or bowl.

8. Now add ¼ cup dry coconut slices till they become crisp and light golden or golden.

9. Remove them with a slotted spoon. Place in the same dish or bowl where you placed fried peanuts.

10. Now fry the ⅓ cup of roasted chana dal for some seconds, till they become crisp.

11. Remove them with a slotted spoon. Place in the same dish or bowl.

12. similarly fry ⅓ cup of cashews till they become crisp.

13. Remove the cashews with a slotted spoon. Place in the same dish or bowl.

14. Lastly fry 2 tablespoons of raisins till they swell and become plump in size.

15. Remove the raisins with a slotted spoon. Place in the same dish or bowl where other fried nuts are placed.

Tempering and mixing poha chivda

16. Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in the same pan or kadai in which the poha flakes were roasted. Lower the flame. Add 12 to 14 curry leaves, 2 chopped green chilies and a generous pinch of asafoetida (hing).

17. Stir and saute, till the chilies and curry leaves become crisp. Saute on a low flame.

18. Then add ¼ turmeric powder and 1 to 1.5 teaspoons salt or add salt as per taste.

19. Now add 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar or sugar.

20. on a low flame, stir till the powdered sugar starts caramelizing.

21. Then add the roasted poha along with the fried ingredients – peanuts, raisins, cashews and chana dal. Shake the pan so that everything gets mixed. If stirring, the stir gently and lightly.

22. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes. Preferably shake & mix the chivda mixture by shaking the pan. If stirring, then gently stir. Don’t apply too much force while stirring else the poha flakes might break.

23. switch off the flame. Let the poha chiwda sit in the hot pan for 1 to 2 minutes more.

24. Then remove the poha chivda in another plate and let it cool at room temperature. Once cooled, then store in an air-tight box and container.
Serve the chivda as a tea time snack.

More Diwali dry snacks 

Note: This Chivda Recipe is from the archives (October 2016) and has been republished and updated on 23rd July 2020.

Among many variations of making chivda, this recipe makes use of thick poha or aval (flattened rice), dry fruits and spices and is a Maharashtrian version.

I have skipped adding coconut slices in this one as we do not prefer the coconut slices in the chiwda. If you like you can add them.

All the ingredients are fried and this frying obviously makes everything crisp and crunchy and nonetheless they taste delicious too. For a low-calorie version you can check the roasted poha chivda recipe shared above.

Most of the times I get packs of Haldiram’s chiwda mixture. I munch on them when reading a book or when scribbling notes. I got a request to post a namkeen recipe and hence made for the upcoming Diwali festival and posting too.

Tips for making chivda or namkeen recipe

• This is a mildly spiced sweet and savory chivda. You can alter the spices as per your liking.
• When making chiwda with poha or corn flakes or grated potatoes, always use a fine sieve ladle. In Indian markets we get these sieve with a handle and they are very helpful for frying ingredients which have small pieces or flakes. Just one equipment makes the frying process easy and a breeze. So you don’t waste time and energy trying to find out the rice flakes or the chana dal in the oil.
• This cooking process requires a bit of planning. So keep all the ingredients ready.
• Also line two to three plates or bowls with paper towels.
• The sieve should be dry and so the ingredients. You will be frying everything one after the other, so the prep works help and is efficient too.

How to make fried thick poha chivda

1. First measure and take all the ingredients and keep them in individual bowls or plates.

2. Rinse the cashews, raisins (my habit to rinse both of these every time) and curry leaves. Dry them in a clean kitchen towel.

3. Heat oil till its moderately hot in a kadai. Take half of the thick poha first in the sieve. Immerse the fine sieve ladle in the hot oil and fry the poha till they expand and become crisp. Don’t brown the poha. I have used red poha.

4. For even frying you can stir with a spoon.

5. Remove and drain the poha on a plate lined with a paper towel.

6. Same way take the roasted chana and fry in the oil till they become crisp. Just for some seconds as they are already roasted.

7. Drain on another plate lined with a paper towel.

8. Same way fry the peanuts till crisp and crunchy.

9. Drain them too.

10. Fry the cashews till light golden.

11. Drain the cashews too.

12. Next come in the raisins.

13. Just fry till they become plump and swell. Don’t fry more as they become dense and chewy.

14. Drain the plump raisins.

15. Fry the curry leaves also the same way till they crisp. A few seconds. Drain.

16. Heat 1 tsp oil and crackle the mustard seeds. Add the cumin and sesame seeds. Fry for some seconds and then add turmeric, red chili powder, asafoetida. Sugar or powdered sugar and salt. Stir well.

17. Add the fried poha, peanuts, cashew nuts, raisins, chana dal. Crush the fried curry leaves on top. Stir well and roast for 2 to 3 minutes on a low flame. Continue to stir in between. Check the taste of chiwva mixture and then add more salt or sugar or red chili powder if required.

Once the mixture has cooled, Store it in an air-tight container. Serve chivda whenever required as a tea time snack.