"Chivda is a delicious and crispy any time snack made from crunchy beaten rice flakes," says Sireesha, a California-based blogger originally from Hyderabad, India, in her July 2009 blog, entitled "Chivda" on her website, momrecipies.blogspot.com. 'Chivda' (the "d" is pronounced with a hard "r", a phonetic sound unique to India's national language, Hindi, and many other regional Indian languages) is a savory snack and is often served at Indian people's homes, reflecting their hospitality and love for great food.
The producers of Gits, a popular Indian snack and convenience food company, describe potato chivda as crisp potato sticks that have been lightly spiced and sweetened, and are blended with peanuts and raisins, on their website, GitsFood.com. Adding peanuts and raisins to this mix definitely makes chivda a relatively healthy snack, and also gives it many interesting textures.
Plain low-fat yogurt and tamarind chutney turn this dry snack into a light meal of chaat, an unusual kind of chaat, since gram-flour-based and crispy rice sticks such as 'sev' and 'bhel,' respectively, are mostly used. This recipe will focus on store-bought plain yogurt and tamarind chutney for the sake of simplicity although many people do make them at home. This recipe will also focus on store-bought potato chivda, again, in the interest of cutting down on preparation time, even though that can also be made at home. The yogurt and the chutney provide a balance of cool and heat, bland and pungent.
Ingredients & Preparation Tips
- Potato chivda is readily available at many Indian convenience and grocery stores. Fresh chivda is very crisp.
- Plain low-fat yogurt is recommended in order to keep this snack healthy. It is available in almost any convenience or grocery store, whether Indian or mainstream American. The individual should ensure that the yogurt is fresh by making a note of the expiration date. There may be a need to beat the yogurt slightly, as it may initially be a bit thick to add to the chaat.
- Tamarind chutney can be purchased at many Indian grocery stores. The individual should ensure that the container does not leak. The chutney is thick on its own and should be mixed with a little water when adding to the chaat or any other dish, for that matter.
Potato Chivda Chaat
Ingredients:
- 4 cups potato chivda
- 1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
- 1/4 cup tamarind chutney
- 1/3 cup cilantro leaves, chopped, for garnishing (optional)
Directions:
- Place the chivda in a medium mixing bowl.
- Add the beaten yogurt.
- Add the slightly diluted chutney.
- Mix well until well blended. Garnish with cilantro if using. Serve immediately with a glass of cold water, or other favorite beverage, or with an Indian drink, such as mango "lassi," an Indian yogurt smoothie, which is also available at many Indian grocery stores and even at some Indian bakeries.
This light and tasty Indian snack serves 4.
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