Spicy Masala Puffed Corn In 3 Minutes

Thanks to the Spring break and cleaning. I found a lot of things that needed to be used up or dumped. There were thing which I was not too happy to use since I cannot figure out what they were made of. My rule of thumb is  "If I am clueless of the ingredients mentioned I don't use". The less of the ingredients mentioned on the back, the better it is for consumption. If something is sweet it has High Fructose Corn Syrup and if it is savory it has a whole bunch of hydrogenated oils, palm or cotton oil. I smile when I see fewer ingredients used, because there are not that many snacks out there that we can buy and feel comfortable that we are eating the right stuff. 

In my pantry raid I found puffed corn and millet cereal. I tasted to see if I would eat it as a cereal but, the more I bit into it I liked its crunch and in my mind I thought it would taste better if it was salty. The next minute I gathered a few spices and decided to have a test run. This is what I came up with. These cereals come across to me as an artist blank canvas. What you add gives it a whole different taste. Using garam masala, pav bhaji masala, taco mix etc might be some good spice flavors to experiment with.

The recipe below was one of my test runs and is now my favorite snack to  serve with tea, coffee, for a movie night or when you have unexpected guests. Takes you less than 3 minutes and you will be serving a crunchy snack. 

My entry to Divya's "Show me your whole grains" Event.

Gadgets:

Microwave safe plate

Measuring Spoons and cups

Bowl

Ingredients:

Oil - 1 tbsp

Channa Dhal flour/ Besan - 1 tbsp

Salt

Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida Powder - a pinch

Dry Cilantro leaves - 1 tsp crushed

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Garlic Powder - 1/2 tsp

Puffed Corn -3/4 cup

Puffed Millet - 1/4 cup

Note: They taste best when they are warm or fresh from the microwave. So I advice not to store them.

Preparation: 

Note: Before you make this please understand that most microwaves work differently. So please do check in between or go in 30 second increments.

1. Heat oil in the plate for 1 minute.

2. Add the powders to the oil and mix it well.

3. Toss in the puffed corn and millet and using your hands coat them well with the spices.

4. Please it in the microwave for another minute and let it sit for 10 seconds before you pop one into your mouth and hear the crunch.