~ HAPPY KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI ~

Butter and Poha(rice flakes) are Krishna's favorite. During Janmashtami my mom used to make various dishes with Poha - Sweet poha, Khara (spicey) poha, Chewda, Poha ladoo and so on...

Here is a simple recipe for making "Chewda" - a savory snack made out of rice flakes.



To make chewda you need..:

Thin Poha (Rice flakes) : 3 cups
Peanuts - ½ cup ( you can use cashews instead)
Chickpeas – ¼ cup (optional)
Dry red chillies – 4
Dry coconut flakes – ½ cup
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp.
Powdered sugar – ½ tsp (optional)
Red Chilli powder – 1 tsp. or to taste
Salt to taste
Oil
Curry leaves – 7 to 8 leaves


Method:
1. In a microwaveable plate spread ½ of the poha and microwave for 2 minutes on high. Stir the poha and microwave again for about 3 minutes or till it looks slightly puffed and crispy. The time required to roast poha depends on each microwave. First time you want to watch and note down the time. Be careful not to burn the powa. Remove the poha and keep aside.
Repeat the process with the other ½ of the portion. Keep aside along with first batch.
(If you don’t have microwave – dry roast the poha in a pan over medium high until poha is crisp.)
2. In a pan heat 2 spoons of oil. Add curry leaves and red chillies. Stir both for a minute.
3. Add peanuts and chickpeas. Stir until peanuts are roasted.
4. Add coconut flakes. Stir it for a minute. Don’t let it burn.
5. To the mixture, stir-in the Turmeric powder.
6. Reduce the heat. Add roasted poha and mix all together.
7. Sprinkle salt, red chilli powder and sugar. Mix all together.
8. Remove from the fire and let it cool completely before storing it in a air tight container.