Crispy and super addictive corn poha or makai poha mixture recipe! This easy-to-make savory snack is ideal not only for festivities but also for everyday tea time.
The next in my Deepavali recipe series is corn poha, or makai poha. Corn poha is also known as maize flakes or flattened corn flakes. Please don’t confuse this with the cereal, corn flakes. Corn poha is raw, flattened corn that is not ready to eat and is typically fried to puff up for snacks, while corn flakes are a pre-cooked and ready-to-eat breakfast cereal.
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I am yet to share my corn flakes mixture, but before that, here is the corn poha mixture. But for a non-fried version, you can also check my poha chivda recipe or oats chivda.
You can find corn poha in Indian groceries and also online. This mixture is very customizable, so you can make it your preferred way. The deep-frying doesn’t take that long, either. As it’s all dried and crispy, it puffs up easily, and you can make this mixture in no time. The time-consuming part is the oil-heating-up time. lol.
If you love a mix with rice, this poha is your best bet. I have already shared the traditional kara boondhi mixture, where we make omapodi, kara boondi, and sev, and mix them all together. While it’s fun to make, let’s accept it’s time-consuming. But this makai poha mixture has all the crunch, and you can make it at home without worrying about the oil used in packaged foods, etc. You can make a big batch and enjoy it with sambar rice or rasam rice, too.
Ingredients required
For this recipe, we need only a handful of ingredients, and it’s very customizable. The key ingredient is the corn poha or the makai poha. The rest of the ingredients can be customized as per your preference. I wanted corn poha, so I added other ingredients in a minimal amount. I went with peanuts, cashews, roasted gram, poha, and curry leaves.
To spice up the mixture, I have used just salt and red chili powder. It’s as simple as that.
If you like garlic flavor, you can crush a couple of garlic cloves and fry them along with curry leaves, and add them to the mixture.
How to Make Corn Poha Mixture
- Heat the oil for deep-frying. When it is hot, reduce the heat to medium (5 on a number scale) and fry the corn poha in batches. It will fry up quickly — less than 20 seconds. Flip once, drain as much oil as you can, remove them from the oil, and set them in a bowl. I usually don’t drain the mixture ingredients onto a paper towel, as we want that oil so the spices can coat evenly.
- Now reduce the heat to medium-low (3 on a number scale) and add the peanuts first. Let it cook for 30 to 45 seconds, and then add the cashews and fry until both turn golden brown. Drain as much oil as you can, remove them from the oil, and set them in a bowl.
- Turn off the heat. Add poha (rice flakes). It will fry up quickly on the residual heat, so it’s ok to turn off the heat. Remove the poha and then add the curry leaves — be careful, as they might splutter. Ensure there isn’t any moisture in the curry leaves.
- Add the salt and red chili powder to the fried items, and gently toss them to coat evenly. Check for salt and adjust if needed.
That’s it! The corn poha mixture is ready. Let it cool, then store it in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
- You can adjust the measurements of roasted gram, poha, cashews, and peanuts as per your preference.
- For a nut-free version, skip peanuts and cashews. You can add almonds or other nuts as well.
- The oil temperature is key here:
- Deep-fry corn poha over medium heat.
- Fry nuts and roasted gram over medium-low heat.
- Fry poha and curry leaves in the residual heat.
Storage
This mixture stays crisp for up to 1 week at room temperature. Just store it in an airtight container.
More snack recipes
Loved this recipe?
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📖 Recipe
Corn Poha Mixture: A Savory Snack Delight
Ingredients
Measurement Details: 1 cup=240ml; 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml;
- 2 cups corn poha
- ¼ cup raw peanuts
- 2 tbsp cashews
- ¼ cup roasted gram
- ¼ cup poha
- 10 curry leaves you can add upto 15
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 2 tsp red chili powder
- 1.5 cups oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Heat the oil for deep-frying. When it is hot, reduce the heat to medium (5 on a number scale) and fry the corn poha in batches. It will fry up quickly — less than 20 seconds. Flip once, drain as much oil as you can, remove them from the oil, and set them in a bowl. I usually don’t drain the mixture ingredients onto a paper towel, as we want that oil so the spices can coat evenly.
- Now reduce the heat to medium-low (3 on a number scale) and add the peanuts first. Let it cook for 30 to 45 seconds, and then add the cashews and fry until both turn golden brown. Drain as much oil as you can, remove them from the oil, and set them in a bowl.
- Turn off the heat. Add poha (rice flakes). It will fry up quickly on the residual heat, so it’s ok to turn off the heat. Remove the poha and then add the curry leaves — be careful, as they might splutter. Ensure there isn’t any moisture in the curry leaves.
- Add the salt and red chili powder to the fried items, and gently toss them to coat evenly. Check for salt and adjust if needed.
Video
Notes
- You can adjust the measurements of roasted gram, poha, cashews, and peanuts as per your preference.
- For a nut-free version, skip peanuts and cashews. You can add almonds or other nuts as well.
- The oil temperature is key here:
- Deep-fry corn poha over medium heat.
- Fry nuts and roasted gram over medium-low heat.
- Fry poha and curry leaves in the residual heat.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I tried this and it turned out very well!!
Thanks ma. Glad you liked it.