Hiking Snack

Ingredients:

• 1 cup puffed rice (for eg. Quaker Cereal Essential Puffed Rice Cereal)
• 1 cup flattened or beaten rice (for eg. Organic Beaten Rice (Poha - White))
  • (Both can be bought in an ethnic Indian grocery store or on amazon.com)
• 1 cup chopped nuts like almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pecans or any other nut you like
• 2 Tbsp organic peanut oil or any oil of your choice
• 1 inch piece ginger grated
• 4-5 thai green chilies split in to two (optional if you can handle the heat)
• A few sprigs of curry leaves washed and patted dry (optional, only if you can find it in an ethnic Indian store)
• 1 tsp rock salt or Himalayan Pink Salt (You can find Himalayan Pink Salt in natural foods stores also)
• 1 tsp black pepper or paprika

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 325F
• Combine the nuts on one tray and put it on the bottom shelf of the oven
• Combine the puffed and flattened rice on one tray and place it on the top shelf of the oven
• Bake for 10 mins and check to make sure nothing is burnt. The rice should be golden brown but not burnt.
• Turn over the contents over on each tray
• Bake for 5 more mins if needed and set both trays aside to cool
• Heat the oil in a wok and add the grated ginger and green chilies
• When the moisture is cooked out of the ginger and chilies in about 2-3 minutes, add the curry leaves and cook for about 2 mins
• Add the baked contents from the two trays (puffed and flattened rice, and nuts) to the wok and mix and switch off the heat
• Season with salt and pepper (add more or less per your taste) and mix thoroughly
• Store in airtight containers or in ziploc bags to carry on your road trip!