Cereal Chivda (Sweet and Spicy Cereal mix)

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Turn your leftover cereals into a snack (Cereal Chivda) that your kids will love to munch on during a road trip or after school.

Cornflakes chivda served in blue and white bowls
Cereal Chivda

Not sure why at least some of us seem to do this – open new packets of cereals without finishing the old ones. I sure am guilty of doing this. I do that with shampoos as well (ugh!).

It also appears that I have another problem – going crazy at the cereal aisle and buying every cereal there is. That is why my husband insists on doing the grocery all by himself. I thought he was trying to help out when he said this a year ago – ” Let me do the groceries from now on” but I found out the real reason behind this just a few days back when I was cleaning up the pantry.

When I dug up deep into the pantry, I found quite a few cereal packets that were unfinished – Rice Krispies, Honey nut Cheerios, regular Cheerios, and Kellogg’s cornflakes, to name a few. On stumbling upon my discovery, he blurted out – “This is why I do all the groceries. Why do you buy so much? We will have to throw all of these out.”

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“THROW? No, I am sure we don’t need to do that. The kids will eat them.” I responded. The kids looked at me and politely said, “No, Mom, we don’t like these cereals anymore.”  Seriously?

There was no way I was going to toss all those cereal packets out. I started to think through a few ways I could use these cereals – I could make a Rice Krispie treat, but what would I do with the Cheerios?  After going back and forth, I thought of tempering the cereals with a little oil, salt, sugar, and cayenne pepper and throw in some peanuts and dry fruits to the mix, and that’s how this Cereal Chivda recipe was born.

The recipe I followed was pretty much like this Poha Chivda I made during Diwali. I knew my kids loved that, so there was a good chance that they would love this too. And they did :).

I think I redeemed myself for now. What do you think?  Let me know via your comments.

Cheerios corn flakes served in a blue and white bowl
Cereal Chivda
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Cornflakes chivda served in blue and white bowls
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5 from 1 vote

Cereal Chivda (Sweet and Spicy Cereal mix)

Turn your leftover cereals into a snack (Cereal Chivda) that your kids will love to munch on during a road trip or after school.
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Add oil to a large wok or kadhai and once the oil heats up add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to splutter, add kadipatta (curry leaves), channa dal cashews and peanuts. Roast them for 2-3 minutes till they slightly turn golden brown.
  • Add the raisins, chili powder, turmeric, and salt and mix them well.
  • Add the cereals in batches and mix them well with the spices and nuts.
  • Turn off the heat and let the cereal chivda cool down to room temperature.
  • Store it in an air-tight container or a zip lock at room temperature and it will stay fresh for over a week.

Notes

I have used roasted channa dal and peanuts. If not using the roasted kind, add additional time (5-8 minutes) to your cooking process to roast them well.
Read the post…For helpful information on ingredient swaps, storage tips, meal prep ideas, and variations!

Disclaimer: Approximate nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and can vary depending on the exact ingredients/brands used. If you have health issues, please work with a registered dietician or nutritionist.

Nutrition

Calories: 188kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 6gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 327mgPotassium: 188mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 650IUVitamin C: 6.8mgCalcium: 35mgIron: 4.8mg
Diet: Vegetarian
Course: Snacks
Method: Stovetop
Keywords: after school snack, cereal mixture
Cuisine: Fusion
Did you enjoy this recipe or have a question?Please leave a comment below. Don’t forget to rate!

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5 Comments

  1. Many Indian moms from the 60s and 70s have done this for decades. Thanks for documenting and putting some nutritional value to it.

  2. Thanks for this info. My mom has been making this for a while. Do you happen to know the calories per cup by any chance?
    Thank you so much

  3. 5 stars
    I am big time snacker too . And I hear you , throwing away is the last thing on my mind. Loved the revamping of the cereal . Happy munching!