Mixture with Sev, Masala Peanuts and fried Curry leaves...Crrrunch!!

First of all let me wish all my lovely readers a very very Happy New Year (better late than never right !! ). May this year bring you joy, happiness, prosperity, wealth and good health.

Instead of starting the New Year with something sweet we wanted something savoury :-) and a lovely evening snack like this Mixture was just perfect. It can be prepared and stored in air-tight containers and can be enjoyed for several days.

I prepared the mixture with a combination of  Sev made from Besan (gram flour), Spiced besan coated Peanuts - Masala peanuts and fried Curry leaves. 

For those who prefer a spicier version you can sprinkle some red chilli powder along with some salt over the mixture and mix well or else spice up the besan with which the Sev is prepared. Its all upto you! :-) I did not want a very spicy snack, so this recipe is a bit on the milder side.

For preparing the Sev I used a Murukku maker or the same thing I used to make my Idiappams :-)

Mixture Recipe
You'll need
For Sev:
Gram flour - 2cups
Water - enough to make a dough
Red chilli powder - 1-2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1-2 tsp
Salt - to taste
For Masala Peanuts:
Raw Peanuts - 1 cup
Gram flour - 2-3 tblsp
Water - enough to mix the flour with the peanuts forming a thick coating
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 2 tsp
Garlic paste - 2 tsp ( I did not add this, but it would bring huge flavor if added)
Salt - to taste
For fried Curry leaves:
Curry leaves - 4-5 springs ( approx 15 - 20 leaves)
Oil - for deep frying and preparing the entire mixture items ( I used Canola)

Directions
For Sev:
1. Take the gram flour in a mixing bowl and add all the spices ( red chilli powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder) and salt and using water make a smooth dough. (It may be a sticky dough but thats ok)
2. Apply some oil on your palm and take a nice handful of the dough and fill it inside the Murukku or Idiappam maker. The stencil used should of small dots such that the dough when pressed will come out as thin strings.
3. Heat oil in a deep frying pan and press the dough into the oil and continue to do so in circular motions without breaking the strings. (It will look like one big ball of strings :-) )

4. Break the strings into small 1 inch length pieces, or simply break it apart into smaller length pieces. Sev is ready :-)

For the Masala Peanuts:

1. In a mixing bowl add 2-3 tblsp of the gram flour with the peanuts and some spices ( Red chilli powder, Turmeric powder and Pepper powder) , some Garlic paste (if you like) and salt to taste and mix together with some water. The gram flour should stick to each peanut like a thick coating.

2. Heat some oil ( or you may use the same oil used to fry the Sev) and drop in each peanut one by one. Its ok if  few peanuts stick together.

3. Fry them until nice and golden brown ( else the peanut may not get fried well and may still be raw inside)

For the Fried Curry Leaves:

1. Take 4-5 sprigs of curry leaves and fry them in the same oil until crisp. 

For the Mixture:

1. Mix together the Sev , Masala Peanuts and the fried curry leaves. A crispy and crunchy snack is ready ! 

Store them in air-tight containers and they will stay crisp for several days. I'm enjoying this delicious snack even while I type this right now, its simply so yumm and irresistible!

Hope you all are enjoying the New Year with lots of good food and lovely people around you!!

-Manju