Flavours & Aromas: Chire Badam

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Chire Badam

CHIRE BADAM

A quick evening snack, homemade and delicious to taste.

Chire Badam is what it is called in Bengali. Chivra is what it is called in Marathi etc.

The main ingredient is Beaten / Flattened rice (called Chire in Bengali and Poha in Maharashtra). Flattened rice has a low GI carbohydrate index which is good.

courtesy - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flattened_rice

Flattened rice is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. The thicknesses of these flakes vary between almost translucently thin (the more expensive varieties) to nearly four times thicker than a normal rice grain.

This easily digestible form of raw rice is very popular across India and Bangladesh, and is normally used to prepare snacks or light and easy fast food in a variety of Indian cuisine styles, some even for long-term consumption of a week or more. It is known by a variety of names: Poha[1] or Pauwa[2] in Hindi, Pohe in Marathi, Chniré in colloquial Bengali, Phovu in Konkani, Chudaa in Oriya, Atukulu in Telugu, Bajeel or Bajil in Tulu, Chudwey in Urdu(Dakkani), Aval in Malayalam and Tamil, Avalakki in Kannada [3], Pavva in Gujarati, and Chiura (चिउरा) in Nepali and Chhattisgarhi.

Flattened rice can be eaten raw by immersing it in plain water or milk, with salt and sugar to taste, or lightly fried in oil with nuts, raisins, cardamoms, and other spices. The lightly fried variety is a standard breakfast in Malvaa region (surrounding Indore) of Madhya Pradesh. It can be reconstituted with hot water to make a porridge or paste, depending on the proportion of water added. In villages, particularly in Chhattisgarh, Poha or Chiura is also eaten raw by mixing with jaggery.

Flattened rice is also a convenience food and very similar to instant mashed potatoes in uses and spirit. For more information - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flattened_rice

Badam is the colloquial word for peanuts in Bengali.

This is a light snack , crispy and tasty. However, it is prepared in different ways, in different combinations, in different communities. I have listed the Bengali way (as I have grown up in Calcutta, eating this a lot). Got the recipe from my closest and best friend in Calcutta.

Ingredients :

Beaten rice - 3 handfuls should be enough for 3 people

Peanuts - roasted

Whole red chillies - 2 (broken)

Cooking oil - 2 tbsps

Salt - sprinkle

Sugar - sprinkle (optional)

Method :

1) Heat the oil in a non - stick pan, add red chillies, add the beaten rice. Roast well, turning the flakes gently.

2) Once this is well done, add salt and keep turning the flakes.

3) Add peanuts and stir a little.

4) Add sugar if required.