Kaccha Pohe Chivda in Microwave

This is a typical maharashtrian snack. We eat chivdas for snacks and also make meals out of it – missals, bhadang, oli bhel , so not sure about the first statement.
Like most times, I always have a packet of patal pohe (Thin Rice Flakes) with me at home. But I do not have the patience of mum or mum-in-law to make the chivda using gas stove. It takes a lot of precision to get the perfect crispiness. To my credit, I have achieved the same level of skill using the microwave. It also needs very little oil so makes it a healthier option.  Can some maharashtrian please tell me why is it called kachche pohe (raw/ uncooked rice flakes chivda) when we actually cook it longer than any other type of chivda?
So, now I keep stock of this nice lovely chivda often to eat along with my evening cup of tea.


Ingredients
4 cups of Rice Flakes (Thin) –Patal Pohe
2 green chillies finely chopped
1 tspn turmeric powder
1 tspn red chilly powder (optional)
2 tspn sugar
For tempering
½  tbsp Oil
1 tspn mustard seeds
1 tspn cumin seeds
1 tspn white sesame seeds (optional)
1 sprigs of fresh curry leaves
a pinch of asafetida
Method
1) In a large microwave safe glass bowl, put the rice flakes and pop it in microwave at high for 1 minute. After 30 seconds stir once so that the heat is evenly distributed. Check the texture of the flakes. It should be crispy like the corn or wheat flakes that come in packets. This should be a little more crispier than that.


2) Repeat the microwaving on high or medium for 30 seconds each time stirring the flakes and checking the crispness. For a 4 cups recipe it took me 3 minutes in total.
3) In a pan, prepare the tempering by heating oil. Add the mustard seeds and when the splutter add the asafetida and cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds crack up, add the curry leaves and green chillies and cook until chillies are crispy. Switch off the heat . Let it stand for 10 seconds off heat.
4) Add the turmeric, red chilly , sugar to the tempering and quickly add this to the flakes and mix by tossing the vessel. Add salt and continue tossing.
5) Microwave for another 10 seconds on high and let it cool. Store in air tight container when they are at rom temperature.
6) You can also add roasted peanuts, chana, raisins and other nuts in the tempering.
I avoided the frills to keep this as a low calorie fill option.
** I also prepared the tempering in microwave as I was just being plain lazy. To do this, you only need a glass bowl in which you add oil and mustard seeds first and mw for 30 seconds, add the rest of the ingredients and mw for 1 minute.



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