"It's going to stink," Sona warned me when we first stepped foot into her parents' home. "It's going to smell like Indian food." It was a warning she'd obviously issued before; this clearly wasn't the first time that she'd prepared a non-Indian guest for the piquant perfume that wafted past the front door.
She was right. I'd never smelled a house like that.
The first time I ever saw Sona's mother, she was standing over the stove in a kitchen that was stuck in the '70s: pea-green wallpaper, vinyl floors and an oven that had long since given up on correctly gauging the temperature. It was an old kitchen andthanks to Pritiit was much used.
Priti was always cooking, and I was always watching her. I was fascinated by how easily she danced around the kitchen, how her hands moved habitually and without hesitation. I'd watch her make chapatisan Indian flatbread that was ever-present on the table.
First, she'd form the dough into balls. Next, she'd use a small, wooden pin to roll out each ballalways chatting, never looking down at her workuntil each was paper thin. Finally, after letting the chapatis heat in a pan, she'd finish them over an open flame. Without concern for burnt fingertips or seared skin, Priti would take each piece of bread and turn it over the blue flame untilto my unending amazementthe flat dough would balloon into the perfectly puffed pastry. She'd then beat the air out with her wooden pin, flip the chapati once more and toss it onto a steaming and buttered pile.
In many ways, Priti reminded me of the Jewish women I'd grown up around. There was always food, or there was always talk of food. If you were seated, you were served. Whenever you finished the last bite on your plate, there was more. Even when we visited between mealtimes, Priti always offered a snack; most of the time, that snack was her cereal chevdo.
When I'm explaining chevdo to Americans, I always equate it to Chex mix. At first glimpse, the bits of cereal, peanuts and potato chips look very similar to the iconic snack that fills the bowls at every backyard bash. Though, as soon as you take a bite, you realize that the flavors in most Indian chevdo are so decidedly complex, so surprising, that the Chex mix comparison falls flat.
However, that's how we can best process new ideas, new language and new flavors. We take a name that is unfamiliar and we relate it to one that is not; we understand by comparison. And so, I'll continue with the Chex mix metaphor.
Like Chex mix, chevdo comes in many variations. If you take a trip to your local Indian market, you're sure to find a dozen different kinds, each with its own blend of ingredients and spices. Most all of them rely on several flavors working in concert; they are all spicy and salty, sweet and savory. And, to be honest, they're good. Nonetheless, no matter how many I've tried, I've never found one as good as Priti's.
Just the other night, I was making a huge batch of Priti's cereal chevdo for this article. I needed to figure out the exact measurements, write down all of the ingredients thatlike PritiI'd learned to use instinctively. As I was finishing, Sona arrived home from work. She walked in the front door and said, "It smells like someone is making chevdo." "Yep," I replied proudly. "Doesn't it smell delicious?"
Priti's cereal chevdo:
Most likely, this recipe is going to require that you head to your local Indian store and buy a few ingredients that are new to you. That's okaythink of it as an adventure.
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp. fennel seeds
1 tbsp. black mustard seeds
2 tbsp. chopped curry leaves ( not related to curry powder )
3 cups Honey Nut Cheerios
3 cups Rice Chex
3 cups Corn Flakes
2 cups potato sticks
1 cup unsalted peanuts
¼ cup sugar
2 tbsp. turmeric
2 tbsp. coriander
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. salt
1. Heat a very large, deep pan on medium.
2. Add the oil, fennel seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves and heat until the seeds begin to pop.
3. Add all of the cereals, potato sticks and peanuts. Toss frequently with spatula.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, turmeric, coriander, cayenne pepper and salt.
5. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over the cereal.
6. Continue to toss and toast in the pan until everything is warmed and fragrant ( about five minutes ) .
7. Remove from pan, allow to cool and store in an airtight container.
Chevdo is usually eaten with a spoon and a cup of tea ( or coffee ) . It makes a great breakfast or afternoon snack.