Make your own Bhuja Snack Mix

We all have our guilty pleasures I guess. Chocolate, potato chips, candy, nuts and whatever else we like to snack on. Me? I pretty much love all of those but I have a real weakness for the store bought Bhuja Snack Mix.  I want to teach you how easy it is to make your own Bhuja Snack Mix.

 

The store bought Bhuja mix has so many varieties so when you make it yourself you can add whatever you like and make it as spicy as you like. Bhuja mix is more commonly known in India as chevda or chanachur, or in the United Kingdom as Bombay Mix or in the USA as Chex Mix. It’s basically a mix of nuts, dried noodles, dried fruit, dried green peas and different forms of rice crackers.

 

I just happened to have a small bag of mixed nuts and they would’ve been nice enough on their own but when I saw I still had a small packet of dried noodles in the pantry, I immediately started thinking about my beloved bhuja mix. I don’t like dried fruit added and can take or leave the green peas so this is all I had in mine.

 

Then, all you need to do is add your blend of spices, a beaten egg white and toss it all together. I used curry powder, paprika, a little bit of chilli powder (I made sure knew I was the only one eating this lot) and salt and pepper.

 

Spread on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in a 180 deg C oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until aromatic.

Bhuja Mix is the perfect accompaniment for drinks, a cocktail party, lunch box treats (if nuts are allowed at school) after school snacks and munching out on in front of the TV, as I did. They are also gluten free. The best part of all to making it yourself is the price. To buy them ready made is about $3.00 for approximately 150 grams. Homebrand salted peanuts are around $2 for for 350gm and fried noodles are about $1.25 for 100 grams. Add a couple of spices from the pantry and an egg white. For around $4 you’ll have triple the quantity. Hope you give it a try.

Suggestions for your own Bhuja Mix:

• peanuts
• cashews
• almonds
• fried noodles
• 2 minute noodles
• dried green peas
• sultanas
• other dried fruit
• chickpeas
• pumpkin seeds
• sunflower seeds
• rice cracker snacks
• Spices: curry powder, paprika, chilli powder, garlic powder, turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, cinnamon

 

Quick & Easy Chicken, Vegetable & Noodle Stir Fry

 

Some nights, I just don’t feel like cooking. Some nights I don’t. I’m happy with a bowl of cereal or a piece of toast but I feel obligated to try and serve something healthy to my children every night. Some nights they may have had a toasted sandwich with fruit, for example, but I always suffer from mother’s guilt. Having a well stocked pantry alleviates the dilemma of knowing what to cook when I don’t have a lot of time or I just don’t feel like cooking.

These pantry style wok ready noodles from Changs are just the best. They now come in a handy meal sized pack, ready for the wok, that is already soaked and best part is they can be kept in the pantry. No refrigeration required.

I also have a couple packets of these frozen vegetables (already mixed with sauce) on hand. I look out for them when they’re on special. Even if they

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don’t come with the sauce, you can quite easily throw in a bit of your own honey and soy sauce from your pantry.

I’ve nearly always got chicken in the freezer and if I remember to take it out early in the day I’m ok but if not, I pop the frozen chicken in a bowl of water and in no time it’s defrosted. (I don’t like defrosting meat in the microwave as I find it always cooks it on the ends.) Just slice the chicken and fry in a little oil.

Toss in the frozen vegetables and noodles and you’re done. Dinner is on the table in less than 15 minutes. No mummy guilt. The only problem I’m faced with is the arguments from my forever fussy daughter but that’s another whole story.

Disclaimer: I was provided with Changs products. All photos and opinions are my own.