Kid Friendly Chevdo Chivda Recipes For Kids

Chevdo is a crunchy, savoury Indian snack. In traditional Chevdo (Chivda), we fry every ingredient to golden perfection before we toss them with salt, turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, sugar and chilli. The ingredients vary from recipe to recipe but the essentials include: Potato sticks, corn flakes, roasted moong daal, nuts, crispy curry leaves and raisins or sultanas.

What is Kid-Friendly Chevdo (Chivda)?

This recipe for Chevdo (Chivda) takes its’ cue from the old classic in terms of flavour. However, it has been adapted for little ones to enjoy. Nobody should miss out on tasty snacks! I remove any added salt, refined sugar, chilli, whole nuts and lentils. I include ground spices so no large pieces of cloves and cinnamon get in the way. The only whole spice in this recipe is cumin. If you prefer, you can replace it with the same measure of ground cumin.

What ingredients do I need to make Kid-Friendly Chevdo (Chivda)?

Savoury finger foods

My recipe includes all of Bodhi’s favourite snacks. Kid-friendly puffs, straws and hoops bought from the children’s aisle at the supermarket.

Cereal

There’s also a mix of cereals in this child-friendly Chevdo. Rice Krispies, Cornflakes and Cheerios (multigrain hoops) are my little lad’s favourites but you can use any cereals you like. Please note that most cereals contain some form of added sugar. If you’d prefer not to use them, you can always seek out sugar-free cereals or replace with something you find more suitable.

Other ingredients

Potato straws (unsalted), unsweetened desiccated coconut (optional), raisins or sultanas, oil, curry leaves and mixed spices. I stick to the classic flavours of asafoetida, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, fennel and turmeric. Citric acid is also a common ingredient in Chevdo. If you don’t have it, simply omit.

Do I have to add oil?

In order to extract the full flavour from spices, it’s necessary to first temper them in hot fat. If you add your spices without tempering, they will remain dull and raw in flavour. Think of the act of tempering as a ritual that wakes your spices up from a deep slumber.

What other oils can I use?

Any oil with a high smoke point will work fine for this. Sunflower, rapeseed, corn, rice bran or vegetable oils are perfect. I don’t recommend using olive oil due to low smoke point. Don’t use fats or oils that solidify at room temperature, such as coconut oil, butter or ghee. They will give the Chevdo an unpleasant and fatty coating.

A note on allergies

Be mindful of allergies & intolerances. If any of the ingredients in this recipe are unsuitable for your child, omit them or replace with something suitable.