Name: Cornflakes Chivda | Cornflakes Mixture | Makai no Chevdo
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 250 grams Makai poha; 4 cup Oil; 20-22 fresh Curry leaves; 250 grams Nuts; 50 grams Green raisins; 3 large Green chillies (cut in to rounds); 2 tablespoon Whole spices (cinnamon bark, cloves and whole black pepper); 3 tablespoon Red chilli powder; 1 tablespoon Turmeric powder; 6 tablespoon Caster sugar; 1 tablespoon Citric acid; Salt to taste

This Cornflakes Chivda is a delicious savoury snack made with corn poha, nuts and spices! It is perfect for Indian festivals such as Diwali.

Serve this vegan and gluten-free snack with Masala Chai.

Cornflakes chivda served in three bowls with masala chai in two cups

Cornflakes chivda, also known as corn flakes mixture, cornflakes namkeen or makai no chevdo, is a popular Indian snack made from cornflakes along with a mixture of various other ingredients.

It is a crunchy and savory dish that's often enjoyed at tea-time or as a Diwali snack.

It is made with raw makai poha or makka poha, also known as corn or maize flakes. This is not the same as breakfast cereal cornflakes!

Chevdo, as it is known in Gujarati, is common in our house during the festivities. Some recipes we love are:

Kenyan Chevdo

Cereal Chevdo

Poha Chivda (made with puffed rice)

Farali Chevdo

cornflakes mixture served in a big round bowl

Ingredients

Makai poha-easily available in Indian grocery stores.

Oil - use an oil suitable for deep frying such as sunflower oil or vegetable oil

Curry leaves - fresh curry leaves taste amazing!

Nuts - I have used peanuts and cashew nuts. You may want to use almonds instead

Green raisins

Green chillies

Whole spices - cloves, cinnamon bark

Spices - red chilli powder, turmeric powder

Caster sugar

Citric acid

Salt to taste

Optional:

Some choose to add chaat masala or dry mango powder. This is personal preference but I find that the spices and citric acid used above is enough

cornflakes chivda recipe ingredients in small bowls

Pro Tips

Work quickly and have all ingredients ready before you start.

Use a metal sieve so that you can easily remove the ingredients from the hot oil.

First deep fry the whole spices, curry leaves and chillies to flavour the oil.

Ensure curry leaves are fully dry after washing as the moisture will cause the oil to spit.

Add a small amount of the cornflakes poha to the sieve as they will puff and get much bigger as they fry.

Add the spice powders and sugar whilst the fried ingredients are still hot from deep frying - it helps the spices stick to the ingredients

Give the chivda a bit of time before adjusting the spices - as the mixture sits, it will change in flavour. Adjust to suit your taste.

How to make Cornflakes mixture

Follow the step by step instructions below or the recipe video in the recipe card.

First, heat oil in a deep pan or kadai until the oil is hot.

Start with tempering the green chillies.

Place the chillies into the sieve and gently lower into the oil. They will only need a few seconds to fry in the oil.

Lift up the sieve and allow the excess oil to drain then tip into a baking tray or bowl.

Next, repeat with the whole spices.

Then the curry leaves.

green chillies being fried in hot oil to add in cornflakes mixture

wholespices like cinnamon, cloves and whole black peppers fried in the hot oilto add in Makai No chevdo

fresh curry leaves frying in the hot oil to add in to making cornflakes namkeen

Then the nuts of choice - they will only need a few seconds. If they appear to burn, switch to a low flame until the oil cools down a little.

Then do the raisins.

cashew being fried using metal seive in hot oil to add in makai poha chivda

raw red peanuts are frying in the hot oil to add in to the cornflakes chevdo

raisins are deep frying in the oil to add in makai no chevdo later

Lastly, move onto the cornflakes.

You will need to fry the cornflakes poha in many batches. The cornflakes will crisp and puff immediately.

Sprinkle over red chili powder, turmeric powder, citric acid and caster sugar immediately. Add salt to taste.

Mix really well and set aside for 10-15 minutes. Check the flavours and add any extra flavours if needed.

Allow to cool thoroughly before storing.

makai poha in the sieve ready to be fried

spices powders and salt added to the cornflakes chivda

powdered sugar added to the cornflakes namkeen in a bowl

A bowl filled with Makai no chevdo placed on a purple backdrop next to kitchen napkin

Serving

Enjoy cornflakes chivda as a standalone snack.
Serve it during tea time or as an appetizer at parties and gatherings.
You can also use cornflakes chivda as a topping for yogurt to add crunch and a hint of spice.

Storage

Store the cornflakes chivda in an airtight container to maintain its crispiness and flavour.

To do this correctly, ensure the chiwda has first completely cooled before storing away. Even a little heat can cause moisture to develop in the container thus loosing crispiness and shelf life.

You can store corn flakes chivda recipe for around 2 weeks at room temperature.

Cornflakes chivda served with two cups of masala chai

Other Dry Snacks

Serve these snacks to your guests in bowls.

Suvari or Suwari

As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

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