icon-account icon-glass
FREE GOLDEN MILK ON ORDERS OVER $60
TEAM FAVE

Zaynab's Chevro Chips

Serves

2-4

Difficulty
Beginner
Zaynab's Chevro Chips
Photo by:  

Graydon Herriot


Excerpted from the new book Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation by Zaynab Issa. Photos copyright ©  2025 by Graydon Herriott. Published by Abrams.

A popular South Asian snack, chevro (or chewra) is made up of lots of crunchy fried bits
and bobs tossed in a turmeric-stained, whole spice–infused oil. Essentially, it’s a savory
fried trail mix.
Making traditional chevro is too involved a process to be casual, so if you’re taking the
time to make it, you’re making it to share it. When I think of chevro, I immediately picture
my mom, my grandmother, and her sister gathered around a large stainless-steel pot
(it’s giving Sanderson sisters), frying and seasoning each individual component in bulk
during my sisters’ weddings. It’s perfect and necessary to have on hand in the house as
a snack for peckish guests.
Among all the different lentils and grains that are fried and added to traditional chevro,
my grandmother would include a bag of kettle-cooked potato chips. In every gallon-
sized zip-top bag filled with chevro, there were only a handful of potato chips. As the
best ingredient in the mix, I would shuffle through the bag, find them, eat them all, and
put the bag right back in the pantry, uninterested in anything other than those ultra-
crunchy, flavorful chips.
Now I keep gallon-sized bags of just the seasoned chips in my pantry, and you should,
too.

Ingredients

  • 1 (8 ounce/224g) bag salted Cape Code Kettle Cooked Potato Chips or any salted kettle-cooked variety
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or any neutral, flavorless oil
  • 1 green bird's-eye chilly, thinly sliced or jalapeño or seranno chilli
  • 14 fresh curry leaves, from 2 sprigs
  • 1 teaspoon Hariyali Fennel
  • 2 teaspoons Nandini Coriander
  • 5 whole Kandyan Cloves
  • 1 teaspoon Bindu Black Mustard
  • ¾ teaspoon Pragati Turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli
  • Surya Salt or Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon citric acid or lemon juice, plus more as needed 
  • 1 teaspoon sugar, plus more as needed

 

Methods

  1. Empty the potato chips into a large bowl. Heat the vegetable oil in a small pot over medium heat. Add the chili, curry leaves, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, and mustard seeds.
  2. Swirl to coat, cover, and cook until the mustard seeds have stopped popping, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the turmeric, chili powder, salt, and citric acid, if using. Stir to combine and pour over the chips. Sprinkle with the sugar and toss vigorously to coat the chips in the spiced oil and chilis. Taste and add more salt, sugar, and/or citric acid to your preference.
  3.  Let stand until completely cooled and the chips have absorbed the oil, about 15 minutes. Store in an airtight bag or container for up to 1 month.

This Recipe Features

BESTSELLER
BESTSELLER
BESTSELLER
BESTSELLER
BESTSELLER
BESTSELLER
BESTSELLER
BESTSELLER
Left image

Liked this recipe?

You'd love The Diaspora Co. Cookbook, featuring 95+ recipes straight from our partner farms!

Shop the Cookbook

Most Loved Recipes

Ready to spice up your inbox?

“I hate literally all marketing emails except for yours!!” - Sarah

Notify me when preorders open

Enter your email to be the first to know when preorders for this product open.

Notify me when back in stock!

Add your email address to be notified via email
as soon as this product is back in stock.

My Cart ( items)

Add to unlock 3 free spice spoons
They're stainless steel, upcycled, and super handy!
You unlocked 3 free spice spoons!
Add to unlock free shipping!
Your order ships free in the US!
Add to unlock A free mystery dish towel worth $12
Add to unlock free shipping
Add to unlock A free mystery dish towel worth $12
Add to unlock free shipping!
You unlocked 3 free spice spoons!
Add to unlock A free mystery dish towel worth $12!
You unlocked 3 free spice spoons!

Your order ships free in the US!
Yay! You unlocked 2 free gifts.
Free shipping (US) will apply at checkout.

$35

3 Free
spice spoons

$75

Free US
shipping

$110

Free
dish towel

Your cart is empty!
Add products to unlock free gifts + free shipping!

FREE GIFT WITH PURCHASE

Mystery Dish Towel

$12 FREE!

FREE GIFT WITH PURCHASE

Spice Spoon Trio

$3 FREE!

Last minute essentials

Golden Milk

Golden Milk

Chai Masala

Chai Masala

Aranya Black Pepper

Aranya Black Pepper