Mixture is a salty, crispy snack that is made from a whole lot of ingredients mixed together… and therefore, aptly named as ‘mixture’. Basically mixture is made in a variety of states and is known by various names too, like Bombay mix, Kerala mixture, Punjabi mix, Gujarati namkeen, etc. Through this post I will be sharing the step by step recipe of Kerala mixture with you all.
My mom is a fantastic cook and she used to make Kerala mixture during Onam or on special occasions. Infact, mixture is very common snack that you can find in every mallu’s pantry. Whenever my mum used to prepare it I loved munching on it along with tea, especially the peanuts 😉 . After marriage, I happen to make it for the first time (P.S. with a bit of mom’s telephonic guidance 😛 ) ..and voila!! it came out to be purrrfectt!! 😎 . Thanks mom!!
As the name itself suggest, mixture contains a variety of ingredients like sev, flattened rice, peanuts, boondi, and various spices. There is no boundation for the choice of ingredients, and it solely depends upon one’s preference and availability of the ingredients.
This recipe does take a lot of time and that’s why I usually prepare the sev a day in advance and make the mixture the next day. I have not shown how to make the besan sev in this post, but you can find step by step pictures of my previous post about how to make besan sev in my blog. The choice of spices and level of hotness can be varied to one’s preference.
Mixture can be stored for 3-4 weeks in an air-tight container.
Ingredients for Kerala Mixture:
Fried Besan Sev- 6 cups (how to make besan sev)
Flattened rice (Thin Poha/Aval)- 6 cups
Peanuts (with/without skin)- 1 cup
Bengal gram/Chana Dal/Kadala parippu – 1/2 cup (washed and soaked)
Curry leaves- 2/3 cup
Green chillies- 15-20 (chopped finely)
Oil for deep frying
For tempering:
Asafoetida – 1 1/2 tsp
Black Salt (Kala Namak)- 3 tsp
Chaat Masala- 3 1/2 tsp (optional)
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Red Chilli powder- 2 tsp
Kashmiri red chilli powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Dry red chilli- 7-8
Fennel seeds- 2 tbsp
Coriander seeds- 2/3 cup
Lemon juice – 3-4 tbsp
How to make Kerala Mixture:
- Sift the flattened rice/poha/aval with a poha sieve. This removes the broken and small sized poha/aval.
- Heat enough oil in a deep and wide pan.
- Deep fry a handful of the flattened rice (poha/aval). Fry in several batches. Make sure the oil is hot and the stove is turned on high heat, or else the poha will absorb too much oil and won’t have the puffed-up texture.
- Remove with a slotted spoon.
- Transfer it into a colander so as to remove the excess dripping oil or just drain on a paper towel and keep it aside.
- Reduce the flame and when he oil has cooled down a bit, deep fry the peanuts until the cracking sound of the peanut stops. Drain on a paper towel and keep aside.
- Next fry the bengal gram/chana dal on medium heat till it is nice and crisp. Drain on a paper towel and keep it aside.
- Similarly fry about 2/3 cup of curry leaves.
- Deep fry the finely chopped green chillies.
- Lower the heat and fry coriander seeds.
- Next fry the fennel seeds.
- By this time the oil must be reduced considerably. Lower the flame and add 3 tbsp lemon juice and let it boil.
- Add asafoetida, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, kashmiri lal mirch powder, and roast if for a minute. Switch off the flame.
- Now transfer the crushed sev, poha, curry leaves and all other ingredients and mix thoroughly.
- Sprinkle chaat masala and black salt and again mix thoroughly.
- Kerala Mixture is ready to be used. Store it in an air-tight container and relish it over a cup of hot tea, sprinkle it over poha or enjoy in whichever way you like.
Footnotes
The chana dal should be soaked for at least 4 hours. Drain and spread it on a clean cloth to remove excess water. When the excess water dries up use it for frying.
While making in large quantities, like I do, I usually fry all the ingredients and keep it aside. For thorough mixing, I temper the sev and other ingredients in few batches.
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