Mixture (Madras Mixture)

     Long back on a weekend, I was all set to make Madras Mixture for a birthday party. I was planning so much before hand on minimizing the regular cooking to something very simple on Sunday and saving the energy for the mixture project :D As my mom says, this is not a so very difficult snack to make, but as I was taking pics at each and every stage of making the Plain Sev, Kara Boondhi, frying groundnuts, flattened rice & other additives, it took me a long time (with multiple breaks in between). Felt contented to see the end product and had a sense of satisfaction that it is home made & that too by me :P

     Usually this mega savoury is prepared at home only during diwali. Boondhi laddu & mixture happen to be the standard sweet & savoury combo at home for diwalis. While I am confident of making mixture, I am yet to get a little perfection with boondhi laddus.

Okay now over to the recipe :)

Prep Time: 5 mins || Cook Time: 25 mins || Yields: 5-6 cups || Category: South indian savouries/ festival savouries

Ingredients:
1. Omapodi (Plain Sev) - 2 cups
2. Kara Boondhi - 2 cups
3. Cashews - 15-20
4. Peanuts - 1/2 cup
5. Roasted gram dal (pottukadalai) - 1/2 cup
6. Flattened rice (Aval/poha) - 1/2 cup
7. Curry leaves - 10-12
8. Oil - sufficient for frying
9. Salt - as required
10. Asafoetida - 4 tsp
11. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
12. Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp

Method:
1. Fry the cashewnuts until golden brown. Drain the excess oil if any, in kitchen tissue. 

 2. Add groundnuts and fry them till light brown. Drain the excess oil if any, in kitchen tissue. Add roasted gram dal. As it get fried, add the curry leaves on top of it, standing at a safe distance from the stove, to avoid oil splutters. After the popping sound of the curry leaves subsides, give a quick stir and remove the ingredients from oil using a perforated laddle & drain in a tissue paper.

 3. Lastly add the flattened rice (aval) and add a tsp of turmeric powder & fry for a min. When the bubbles subside to an extent, take off the fried aval and drain the excess oil in tissue.

 4. Take all the fried ingredients along with omapodi & boondhi & add required amount of salt, hing, red chilli powder & toss well.

Suggestions:

• Can fry cashewnuts in ghee instead of oil. If frying in oil, it is better to do so before frying other ingredients, when the oil is fresh.
• Adding turmeric powder while frying aval is optional. I add it as I dont like the aval showing up in white colour in the mixture.
• Can also add potato chips/ plain corn flakes (fried)/ broken karasev/ thenkuzhal/ jeeraga mittai etc.