This spicy, crunchy, tangy South Indian cornflake snack mixture requires just a few ingredients and is so easy to make at home -- no frying necessary.
What is Indian mixture?
South Indian mixture is a category of snacks kind of similar to American trail mix. It is, as its name suggests, a mixture of various crunchy things that are sweet, salty, spicy, and tangy, and serves as a delightful snack to accompany chai or to make for friends for Diwali/Deepavali gift boxes. Indian mixture has many names like chivda, chevdo, and chivra, all of which are terms for snack mix. The snack mixes tend to be a combo of various crunchy besan (gram flour) based snacks, mixed with different varieties of nuts, dried fruits, and spices.
Mixture without excess oil
This homemade cornflake snack mixture does not require frying, making it an easy mixture recipe with little oil. Instead of deep frying besan (gram flour) based doughs, this recipe relies on plain cornflake cereal for its crunch. Cornflakes are toasted on the stovetop and tossed with spices, providing the addictive snack flavors.
Ingredients in cornflake mixture and substitutions
The ingredients in this recipe fall into a few different categories: crunchy things, nuts, dried fruits, and spices. Unlike other recipes that require one to follow it to the dot, this recipe is pretty versatile. You can swap out different ingredients in each of these categories to really make this snack your own. Here are some suggestions for doing just that:
- Crunchy Things - The main crunchy ingredient in this recipe is cornflake cereal; however, if you wanted to substitute it, you can use potato chips, sev, or even popcorn to act as your main crunchy element.
- Nuts - This recipe uses peanuts that still have their skin on for the nutty component. The peanuts add a deep and rich flavor that keeps you full on hikes while the peanut skins, when toasted, add a second layer of crunch. If peanuts are not your thing, you can substitute cashews, slivered almonds, or even pistachios!
- Dried Fruits - This recipe uses dried raisins for pops of sweetness throughout the snack mixture that balance the spicy notes from the chili powder. However, if raisins aren't your thing, you can omit them or substitute with dried cranberries.
- Spices - This recipe uses Kashmiri chili powder for it heat, fennel seeds for their earthy taste, amchur powder for its tang, and curry leaves for its distinctive Indian herbal taste. You can turn up or down any of these spices to tweak this recipe!
Related recipes that you will love
You can eat this as a snack or make it into a whole meal by crushing and coating the mixture on top of chicken for an oven baked chicken with a cornflake mixture topping. If you are looking for another crunchy snack to munch on during movies, checkout this masala popcorn which uses similar ingredients to that found in this recipe!
South Indian Cornflake Snack Mixture Without Frying
Ingredients
- 1 ½ teaspoons chaat masala
- 1 teaspoon amchur powder dried mango powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ cup unroasted peanuts with skin on
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 30-35 curry leaves stripped from the stem
- ½ cup raisins
- 3 cups cornflakes
Instructions
- Measure out the 1 ½ teaspoons chaat masala, 1 teaspoon amchur powder, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder, 2 teaspoons sugar, and ½ teaspoon sea salt and mix them ahead of time in a separate bowl.
- In a large, deep pot over medium heat, add ⅓ of the 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and the ½ cup unroasted peanuts with skin on. Constantly stir the peanuts until the peanuts turn a golden brown and their skins crisp. This should take approximately 3-4 minutes. Remove the peanuts from the pot and set aside.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the remaining ⅔ of the 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon fennel seeds. When the fennel seeds start to dance in the oil, add the 30-35 curry leaves and wait for them to sputter in the oil. Add ½ cup raisins to the pot and allow them to briefly warm and puff up.
- Add the spice mixture to the oil and mix to form a spiced oil. If there is not enough oil to coat the spices, add an additional teaspoon of oil to the pot.
- Add the 3 cups cornflakes and toasted peanuts to the pot and thoroughly mix until the peanuts, raisins, and cornflakes are all coated in the spices. Turn off the heat. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow the raisins and peanuts to cool before eating. Store in an airtight container for up to a month!
Shri Repp