Ingredients:
- 2 cups flattened rice (thin variety) (known as poha in Hindi and aval in Tamil)
- 2 cups puffed rice (known as murmura in Hindi and pori in Tamil)
- 1/2 cup pecans/walnuts halfed
- 1/2 cup almonds sliced
- 1 cup peanuts
- 1 cup "wild rice sticks" from the trail mix bar at Whole Foods (optional)
- 4-5 Tbsp peanut oil
- 8 - 10 green chilies slit in to 2 halves
- 1 inch piece ginger grated
- 2-3 sprigs of curry leaves
- 2-4 tsp whole black pepper coarsely crushed with mortar and pestle
- 2 tsp fennel seeds (sonph in Hindi, sombu in Tamil)
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar
Method:
- Preheat oven to 300F
- The next step consists of baking the ingredients (nuts, flattened and puffed rice, and rice sticks if you are using it) one at a time. Layer thinly on a baking sheet and roast them one at a time for approximately 10 minutes each
- Pecans burn easily so keep them far from the coils
- Keep an eye when the ingredients are roasting and shake the baking sheet every now and then to avoid spot burning
- Allow each ingredient to cool before dumping it in a bowl. (It may be easier to use 2 baking trays during this process and alternate between them)
- 300F is a conservative temperature. If you are impatient, go for 350F but keep a close eye to avoid burning
- Heat the oil in a wok on the burner and add the fennel seeds and black pepper. After a couple of minutes, add the green chilies, curry leaves and ginger and cook well until there is no moisture
- Add the roasted ingredients, salt, chili powder and sugar and mix well