Chivda – Savory Rice Krispy Trail Mix Recipe

Learn to make popular Indian Snack Chivada using Rice Krispy cereal. This easy and delicious savory trail mix is great for busy mornings, after school snacks, and even game time! Filled with lots of goodness, this trail mix is the perfect combination of crunchy, sweet, spicy and salty!

Poha Chivda is a delicious Indian snack dish made with Poha (puffed rice flakes) and nuts and oil tempered with spices. Traditionally, you would fry everything to make it crispy, crunchy and very tasty. However, eating healthy snack and fried items don’t gel well together. At least not on a regular basis. So we needed to tweak the traditional recipe. And this fusion take on traditional Indian snack mix happened in our kitchen.

Recipe Inspiration

My mother in law, always makes her Chivda using the Rice Krispies. The cereal retains its crisp texture for extended periods of time. It also absorbs all the flavors beautifully. Ever since I tasted her specialty Chivda, I decided to make it on regular basis too

It is so light, airy and crispy and it is AMAZING ! You just can’t stop eating it. Plus since it has cereal in it, you can eat it morning, noon, evening ( as if we need more reasons to indulge) Now everyone who had this chivda at my place, is in love with it too. It’s a great balance of East meets West – a perfect fusion !

I love the combination of flavors and textures in this Chivda – spicy trail mix . It really has it all! It’s truly flavor fiesta of awesomeness in your mouth!

So what’s in this trail mix you ask? Only the best! Rice Krispies Cereal, peanuts, raisins , sesame seeds and some yummy spices tempered in oil. Sounds delicious, isn’t it?

Variations / Substitutions

Now, you can totally swap in your favorites if you’d like. I like adding coconut flakes, cashews , baked papad or crushed potato chips. All in all, it is super delicious and a lot of fun to mix and match.

This Chivda mix can be made in a matter of minutes. So easy. Plus you can even make it ahead of time, which I LOVE. Making things ahead of time makes things a breeze.

Easy make ahead snack

Another thing I like about treating it like a snack mix is you can create a DIY CHIVADA BAR with all of the toppings, and everyone can make their mix. Chopped cilantro, onions, tomatoes, boiled potatoes and lemon wedges are best layering options. Unique, unusual and so much fun to make your own. It sure brings the special high spirits to Game Day watching!

Make a batch of this spicy/savory snack and keep it on hand, to munch on whenever you are hungry. You can enjoy it as it is, or with a dash of lemon juice and grated veggies like chopped onions and cilantro. My favorite is topping of slices of finely cut raw mango. The tangy mango kicks this another notch to heavenly. It is also ideal to carry along when you travel because it is quite filling.

Perfect Diwali Snack recipe

So here it is, the recipe of a low-cal snack that you can prepare in a jiffy not only for special occasions like Diwali but all year round. If you have the urge to indulge in deep fried snacks just replace them completely with this chivda.

Since it has a long shelf life , it can be carried as a dry snack when you travel. Far more healthy than store brought snacks. When you make it at home you have full control over the quantity and quality of ingredients used. I have made it using brown rice Krispies and it tastes just as amazing.

Instant Pot Chivada

Ever since, Instant Pot entered the cooking scene,  I am adapting a lot of my repeat recipes to make in it. Chivda traditionally was made on stove top. Rice Krispies Chivda can easily be made in Instant Pot too. Just use the sauté function to do the oil tempering with spices. Sauté the peanuts and raisins in that oil till the raisins swell in size. Add in Rice Krispies and stir to mix thoroughly. Your finger licking, mouth watering, yummy Chivda is ready ! Not much cleaning, prepping or baby sitting. Chai and chivda a perfect pairing that we will devour forever!

Ingredients:

1 box Rice Krispies Cereal
1 tablespoon cooking oil- We used Avocado Oil
1 teaspoon each cumin seeds, mustard seeds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon red pepper powder
1 spicy green pepper finely chopped
10-12 curry leaves
1/2 cup of raisins
1 cup peanuts
Salt per taste

Stove Top Directions

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once heated then add cumin and mustard seeds. Let them splutter for few seconds. Add curry leaves and chopped green chilies. Give it toss and let them sizzle for few seconds.

Add in raisins and peanuts. Sauté for 2-3 minutes. Raisins will swell in size. Add the sesame seeds, turmeric and red pepper powder and mix well. Reduce the heat to low and add the rice Krispies. Mix well so the oil mixture coats the rice flakes well. Turn the heat off. Remove the pan from the heat. Let it cool completely before storing it in air tight container. Enjoy !

Instant Pot Directions:

Turn the InstantPot on and select Sauté and choose Medium. Let it warm up for a minute.Add oil. Let the oil heat up for a minute. Add cumin and mustard seeds. Let them brown for few seconds.

Add curry leaves and chopped green chilies. Give it toss and let them sizzle for few seconds. Add in raisins and peanuts. Stir for 2-3 minutes. Raisins will swell in size. Add the sesame seeds, turmeric and red pepper powder and mix well.

Add the rice Krispies. Cancel Sauté function. Mix the ingredients well so the oil mixture coats the rice flakes well. Remove the inner insert pot from the unit. (so it stops cooking further)

Let it cool completely before storing the Chivda in air tight container.

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