Cornflakes Chivda is one of my favorite tea time snacks. It’s spicy, crunchy, a little sweet and has so much texture from the nuts, raisins and the crispy corn flakes. If you are looking to make an easy and quick snack/namkeen for Diwali, then look no further than this Cornflakes Chivda. You can make this easy snack in 20 minutes!

If you think you can only eat cornflakes with milk for breakfast, then you are in for a surprise with this recipe!

Chai time is special in India. Samosa, mathri, namkeen are often a part of it. I remember my mom would make so many namkeens at home to have with her evening chai. Making mathri and chivda was a tradition for Holi and Diwali at my home. And I still try to do the same. Over the years, I have developed my own versions of these traditional snacks. Like the baked methi mathri is always on my list of diwali snacks and so is the roasted poha chivda.

Yet another favorite of mine is this cornflakes chivda. I like using cornflakes that we eat for breakfast for this recipe. Since that’s already cooked, there’s no need to fry it and you can literally make this cornflakes mixture in less than 30 minutes!

Ingredients

Cornflakes: I like using Kellogg’s corn flakes original for this recipe. The one which has no added flavor. You can use any corn flakes but make sure it doesn’t have any flavor like chocolate, cinnamon etc. added to it.

Nuts and raisins: for this corn flakes chivda, I used cashews and peanuts. You can also use almonds. I also love adding raisins in this recipe.

Spices: this chivda gets its flavor from Kashmiri red chili powder, chaat masala, turmeric, curry leaves. You can adjust the spice levels to taste.

Makai Poha v/s Store-bought Cereal

The corn flakes that is used to make corn flakes chivda traditionally is not the corn flakes that we eat for breakfast. It’s a special type of corn flakes and it’s known as makai poha (maize poha). It is quite thin compared to the breakfast cereal cornflakes. It needs to be deep fried and then mixed with the seasonings.

However, I have used ready to eat cereal for this recipe. I like using the breakfast cereal here because it’s already cooked and there’s no need to deep fry it. It makes the process much easier and less messier. You then only need to fry the nuts and spices and then mix with the corn flakes.

You can definitely use makai poha for this recipe if you want to do it the traditional way. You should deep fry it first and then follow the rest of the recipe as is.

How to Make Cornflakes Chivda

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add 1/2 cup whole cashews to it and fry until they turn light golden brown in color. Remove from the pan using a spatula on a plate.
2. To the same pan now add 1/2 cup whole raw peanuts and fry until golden brown in color. Remove that on a plate as well.
3. Now add 2 tablespoons of golden raisins and cook until the raisins plump up. Remove on a plate.
4. Then add 1/4 cup chana dal and fry until light golden brown in color and remove that onto the plate as well. You can skip the chana dal if you want.

5. Then add 2 green chilies (sliced) and 10 to 15 curry leaves and sauté for a minute or so until they crisp up.
6. Now, add the following: 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 + 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala and 2 teaspoons powdered sugar.
7. Stir and cook the spices for 15 seconds or so and then add the chopped cashews, peanuts, raisins back into the pan and stir.
8. Add 3 cups cornflakes (I used Kellogg’s Original Cornflakes) and stir until the cornflakes are well coated with all the spices and everything is mixed well together, around 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Storage

Let the cornflakes chivda cool completely and then store in an airtight container. This chivda is great for snacking especially with a cup of chai. This should

Tips & Notes

• Adjust the spice levels to taste. For a spicier chivda, add more of the chili powder. I have used Kashmiri red chili powder here which is not hot but you can replace it with regular chili powder. To make it more tangy, add more of chaat masala or you can also use amchur (dried mango powder).
• If you want to make this with makai poha, then deep fry it first and then remove it on a plate. Then deep fry the cashews, peanuts, raisins and then mix everything together along with the spices.
• You can also add dried coconut slices or sev to this chivda.
• This cornflakes chivda will last for a month if stored correctly in an airtight container. You can also pack it in small pouches and add it to your Diwali boxes for family and friends.

This is such an easy Diwali snack and I hope you guys give it a try this festive season.