Easy Chivda / Spicy Chex Mix

Chivda / Spicy Indian chex mix made with an assortment of deep fried treats involving rice flour, besan (chickpea flour), and corn is a very common and popular savory dish that's had with tea, just as a quick munch/snack, or on festive days. The more ingredients that go into the chex mix, the more "festive" it becomes :)

This is a very simply recipe that involves tossing some common store bought ingredients along with a few items from home. I took the easier route by making chaklis and breaking them into small pieces, and then using plain corn and rice cereals from the store to make up the volume of the chex mix. This is not really innovative, but this is the first time I tried it, and was pleased with the output!

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup store bought plain corn cereal (no added/minimal sugar or flavoring)
2. 1 cup store bought crispy rice cereal (minimal sugar/no flavoring; I used rice chex)
3.  1 cup broken chakli (or its variant)
4.  2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
5. 1 teaspoon ghee / clarified butter (optional)
6. 1/2 cup peanuts
7. 1/4 cup cashews
8. 1/4 cup raisins
9. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
10. chilli powder (as per desired spice level)
11. 2 tablespoons sambar powder 
12. salt (as per desired taste)
13. 1 teaspoon chaat masala (adjust salt since this masala also has salt)
14. 1 teaspoon sugar
15. a sprig of curry leaves

Preparation:

1. In a large pan / kadai, heat oil and ghee
2. On medium heat, add curry leaves, peanuts, cashews and raisins and saute until the nuts begin to change color
3. Reduce the heat to low, add the spices - turmeric, chilli powder, sambar powder, and salt. Mix for a couple of seconds to incorporate. Don't let the spices burn
4. Immediately add the corn and rice cereals, and broken chakli and mix to coat them with the oil and spices. Saute/mix for 5 minutes until the cereals are coated uniformly and have crisped a little. 
5. Remove from heat. Add chaat masala and sugar and stir well. Taste and adjust seasonings. 

When cool, store in an air-tight container at room temperature for about a week.