Oven: Baked and Spiced Poha Chivda with Chia Seeds

December 02, 2024

WHY CAN'T INDIAN SNACKS BE INSANELY HEALTHY?

I got to thinking. They are already insanely tasty. But, what about making them without the frying, the unhealthy oils, and the food dyes? I'm on a mission to change even the way we snack at home without compromising on taste to really help us reset our gut microbiomes — You should have seen the eye-rolls from the husband a few months ago, which turned into him declaring he feels better after all my healthy swaps. All the little additives and gums in ultra-processed foods are not good for our bodies. So, if I can make something that steers my family away from store-bought without compromising taste and flavor, I'm doing it.

We in the Indian community love our snacks. We especially love our pre-packed namkeen options — salty and delicious snacks with chai or drinks before dinner. I replaced the deep frying with baking, sugar with maple syrup, and added more healthy nut options along with chia seeds. After all that, I ended up with the above bowl of pure healthy-delish addiction. If you've been following my blog, you know I've been working with my chai masala to create granola and candied pecans. And, as I baked both, I started to wonder if I could bake poha into a salty, slightly sweet snack called chivda.

If you are not familiar with poha, you are not alone. This form of rice is not the most commonly found Indian ingredient in the West. Much like oats are rolled and flattened to make quick-cook oatmeal, rice is steamed, roasted, and rolled until flattened to make poha, which in turn can be soaked with water and cooked into a dish typically eaten for breakfast, deep fried, pan fried, or baked into a crunchy snack called chivda, what you see above.

Poha comes in different forms of processing. The first press results in a thicker consistency. The third press results in a thinner version used to make the crunchy snack that I showcase in this recipe. You'll see 'thick' and 'thin' written on the packaging, which will indicate which one you'll want to purchase depending on what you'll be making. Now, here's my disclaimer. This level of processing is still processing — it's like eating rolled oats, which are never going to be as good for you as steel-cut oats. But, if I'm going to give up a few nutrition points, I'm okay doing it here, if that makes sense.

Once you try this recipe, you'll see that the flow is similar to making granola. It's just that in this recipe, I use spices to get that delicious taste that you need for a really good namkeen. In my first attempt, I started with the right spices, but I needed slightly more of the chaat masala and red chile. I also added ground black pepper for the nutritional boost it gives you when combined with turmeric powder and oil. I increased the amount of peanuts and added some walnuts, which cooked up perfectly in 30 minutes. I even added fresh curry leaves, baking them for just fifteen minutes and then crushing them by hand to evenly distribute them into the snack.

My husband was the most impressed. Wow, this is the best thing you've ever made! Really? Ever? Hmm. You can purchase poha much like you would purchase oatmeal — from the store, but from the Indian grocery store. To make this snack successfully, go for the thin poha (the thicker variety is better soaked in water and made into a side dish). If you can't find poha, then use quick-cooking rolled oats as a substitute.

xoxo Anupy

Oven: Baked and Spiced Poha Chivda with Chia Seeds

Ingredients

1 tablespoon chaat masala
2 teaspoons amchur powder (dried mango powder)
2 teaspoons red chile powder or cayenne
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons avocado oil, olive oil, or ghee, or combination
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon chia seeds
½ cup raw, unsalted peanuts with the skin
¼ cup raw, unsalted walnuts halves, roughly chopped
¼ cup raw, unsalted cashews halves or pieces
¼ cup raw, unsalted almonds, roughly chopped
¼ cup raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds
5 cups thin poha
15-20 fresh or dried curry leaves

Instructions

Position your oven rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 320°F (160°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine the spices (chaat masala, amchur, red chile, salt, turmeric, and black pepper). Stir (I use a small whisk) until the spices are well combined and there are no small chunks. I sometimes use my fingers to break apart any clumps. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add the oil and maple syrup. Stir. I start with the oil so that the maple syrup does not stick to the measuring spoon.
Add the chia seeds, peanuts, walnuts, cashews, almonds, and pumpkin seeds. Stir until well combined.
Add the poha and carefully stir until all of the poha is coated with the spice mixture and the nuts are distributed evenly. Because poha can break, I use my hands and carefully break apart any chunks or nuggets of oil/maple syrup and nuts. The best results come from evenly coating all of the poha with the spices and other ingredients.
Transfer the poha mixture carefully onto the baking tray. Spread it out with the back of a spatula. Place it in the oven and cook for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven, stir, and add the curry leaves. Place the tray back in the oven and cook for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the mixture cool for at least 30 to 40 minutes. The best crunch will come after the mixture cools.
Once cool, break apart any chunks and the curry leaves with your hands. You can eat the curry leaves whole, but I prefer crumbling them down a bit so that they mix well with the entire mixture. Store in a tightly sealed glass container in your pantry for up to two weeks.

The video below shows you how rice is processed to make poha. It's steamed and then roasted before it's flattened. The video is in Hindi, but even if you cannot understand it, it's a really good depiction of the process.