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Love is in my Tummy

Plant-based flavor

June 29, 2016 By Tina Dawson 12 Comments

Baked Navratna Mixture – Indian Trail Mix

Navratna Mixture Indian Trail Mix

‘Navratna’ in Sanskrit means ‘nine gems’ and has a special cultural and religious significance in the Asiatic region. Mirroring the 9 celestial bodies known to ancient wisdom, a gem was assigned to each – Ruby is the gem for the Sun, natural Pearl for the Moon, Red Coral for Mars, Emerald for Mercury, Yellow Sapphire for Jupiter, Diamond for Venus, Blue Sapphire for Saturn, Hessonite for Rahu (ascending lunar node), and Cat’s Eye for Ketu (descending lunar node) – and held sacred and as a symbol of royalty.  It was inevitable that this reverence should eventually find its way into food, resulting in the Navratna Mixture as the culinary homage to the nine gems.

The traditional Navratna Mixture

Composed of nuts, raisins and lentils, usually combined with deep-fried gram flour noodle sticks and/or fried cornflakes to provide an interesting contrast in texture and flavour – it is protein packed and absolutely crunchy and delicious! Making this at home, if at all possible, is reserved for absolutely special occasions, because traditionally, all the ingredients are deep-fried in oil – which can be considered a slightly dangerous endeavor as you are attempting to deep-fry a soaked and/or boiled lentil, full of moisture and a tendency to ‘pop’.

Healthier, safer way is to Bake!

But if you take away the grease and potential danger, it can be quite a treat to enjoy, and seeing as how protein packed this is, makes for a nice energy bar substitute while you are hitting the trails. So how can you make it at home? Baking is the safe answer to the above conundrum.

Like many things in life, no two things are exactly interchangeable. So baking cannot give the crisp crunchiness that comes from deep-frying. But it is the closest, safest, healthiest alternative, and I find no qualms in sacrificing just a little texture for all the goodness that baking makes possible.

But I draw the line at baking cornflakes. Sure, you can microwave them like papads but trust me, its not the same as deep-frying them. Plus, it’s just a small amount, so just give up and fry them please! It’s totally worth it!

The fabulous 9

I have picked the following 9 culinary ‘gems’ to make my version of the Baked Navratna Mixture – Cashews, Almonds, Raisins, Corn flakes, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, Moong dal (mung beans), Chana Dal (split bengal gram) and peanuts.

Navratna Mixture ingredients

In an attempt to introduce another dimension of flavour, I used the Sprouts Farmers Market Chilli Peanuts – they are flavoured with a hot and sour spice mix that makes for an interesting bite. If you have a local/personal version of spiced/flavoured peanuts, use that instead of plain roasted peanuts.

I’ve already posted detailed instructions and recipes for the Oven roasted chickpeas, moong dal and chana dal. Check those out before you get into this larger scale project.

Roasted Chana DalOven Roasted Mung DalOven Roasted Chickpeas

Click on each of these images to get detailed recipe instructions.

But having said that, the name suggests 9 gems – you can decide and choose the 9 based on your taste preferences. So go ahead and pick your 9 ingredients.

Navratna Mixture

And when you make these, be sure to SHARE YOUR PHOTOS with me through Facebook, Instagram (@loveisinmytummy) or Twitter (@loveisinmytummy). I’d love to see what you cook from here and will share it with pride on my social media feeds.

Baked Navratna Mixture

Created by Tina Dawson on June 29, 2016

Navratna Mixture

  • Prep Time:30m
  • Cook Time:1h 30m
  • Total Time:2h
  • Serves: 4
  • Yield: About 5-6 cups

Ingredients

  • 2 c chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked till soft
  • 1 c chana dal (split bengal gram), soaked for 30 minutes and cooked till soft
  • 1 c moong dal (mung beans), soaked overnight
  • 1/2 c black eyed peas, soaked overnight, cooked till soft
  • 1/2 c raw cashews
  • 1/2 c raw almonds
  • 1/4 c raisins
  • 1/2 c peanuts
  • 3 c fried cornflakes (from raw, unprocessed cornflakes. NOT CEREAL)
  • 2 tbsp. + 1tsp oil (preferably higher smoke points)
  • 2 tsp. red chilli powder
  • 2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin powder
  • 1/4 tsp. garam masala
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/4 c curry leaves, fried in oil and drained (optional)

Instructions

  1. First, start off by cooking the soaked lentils (except moong dal). They should be slightly overcooked, enough to be able to mash between your fingers.
  2. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C. Line three baking trays with foil.

Chickpeas

  1. Combine the cooked chickpeas with 1tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/4 tsp garam masala and salt. Spread them on a foil-lined baking tray.
  2. Bake at 400°F/200°C. for about 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350°F/180°C and continue baking for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Keep stirring the chickpeas every 10 minutes to ensure even roasting. Cool on a wire rack completely.

Chana Dal

  1. Combine the cooked chana dal with 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp garlic powder and salt. Spread them on another foil-lined baking tray.

Moong Dal

  1. Combine the uncooked, soaked moong dal with 1 tsp oil and 1/2 tsp salt. Spread it over one half of the third foil-lined baking tray.

Black-eyed peas

  1. Combine the cooked black-eyed peas with 1 tsp oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder and 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Spread it over the other half of the third foil-lined baking tray.

Roasting

  1. Bake both the trays side by side at 400°F/200°C. The black-eyed peas and moon dal bake for 20 minutes. The chana dal bakes for 30 minutes. Keep stirring the lentils every 10 minutes to ensure even roasting. Cool on wire racks completely.

Nuts - cashews, almonds and peanuts

  1. While the lentils are baking, you can roast the cashews, almonds and peanuts in the microwave in 1 minute intervals at medium power until golden brown. The cashews take about 3-4 minutes, almonds 2 minutes and peanuts 5-6 minutes. This time varies according to the microwave, so keep a watchful eye to prevent burning.

Cornflakes

  1. While frying the cornflakes, be sure to sprinkle a little red chilli powder and salt while it's still hot.

Assemble

  1. In a large bowl, combine the 9 ingredients - roasted chickpeas, chana dal, moong dal, black-eyed peas, cashews, almonds, peanuts, raisins, cornflakes and curry leaves (if using). Toss well to combine. Store in an air-tight container for several weeks.
  • Print
Navratna Mixture Pin

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  • Oven Roasted Moong Dal | Mung BeansOven Roasted Moong Dal | Mung Beans
  • Vegan Zucchini FrittersVegan Zucchini Fritters
  • Spicy Cauliflower FrittersSpicy Cauliflower Fritters
  • Vegan Coconut CurryVegan Coconut Curry

Filed Under: All Recipes, BAKED not Fried, Cuisines, Indian, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: Indian, Recipes, Served with tea, Snacks, South Indian, Vegan, Vegetarian

Previous Post: « Magnolia Bakery Chocolate Cupcakes
Next Post: Coconut Kinako Dango »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. The Steaming Pot says

    August 13, 2016 at 1:03 am

    Very creative spin on the trail mix genre. Got to try this!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      August 13, 2016 at 8:53 am

      Thanks a lot! I really hope you do!

      Reply
  2. Claudia | Gourmet Project says

    June 30, 2016 at 3:29 am

    this was such a pleasant read. thanks, really! I’m pinning the 9 gems, cause I must try them asap. I’ll be waiting for the next post 🙂

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      June 30, 2016 at 9:44 am

      Thanks a lot Claudia!!!! I hope you like them!!!

      Reply
  3. Jackie Garvin says

    June 29, 2016 at 10:37 pm

    This recipe is a powerhouse. Nicely done!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      June 29, 2016 at 10:44 pm

      Thanks Jackie!

      Reply
  4. Peter Block says

    June 29, 2016 at 10:18 pm

    This is obviously a totally different trail mix than I am familiar with. I really love Indian spices so I am sure this would be gobbled up!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      June 29, 2016 at 10:44 pm

      Thanks Peter! It is quite flavourful!

      Reply
  5. Kristen says

    June 29, 2016 at 9:41 pm

    I love Indian food and trail mix! So I think I’ll be making this.

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      June 29, 2016 at 10:45 pm

      Thanks Kristen! When you do, come back and let me know how you liked it…

      Reply
  6. Sarah @ Champagne Tastes says

    June 29, 2016 at 9:38 pm

    This sounds incredible- I’ve been making trail mix for hiking trips and I’ll have to give this a try! I love Indian spices on everything!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      June 29, 2016 at 10:46 pm

      Thanks Sarah! Give this a try, it’s quite unique…

      Reply

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Hi! I'm Tina - the human behind all the content you see on this blog. Welcome to my little corner of the internet where I create flavorful and unique plant-based recipes.

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