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Report 6 (of 6): Snack Attack
- Bangladesh
Introduction
In Bangladesh, floods and cyclones are a fact of
life. Dhaka, the capital, is one of the poorest cities
in the world and people pursue income sources as
a matter of survival. There is a booming street trade
in snack foods and the demand is rising. Very little
investment is needed to establish a roadside restaurant
and vendors can be found in most public places where
profit margins are high, such as stations, bus terminals,
schools and streets.
"Chana chur", a similar product to "Bombay Mix",
and vegetables fried in pastry are extremely popular
snacks and are eaten regularly by people going about
their daily business.
The consumption of chana chur is increasing in rural
areas and it is available even in the most remote
villages of Bangladesh. Entrepreneurs are taking
an interest in the product because it is a way of
providing income generation for the disadvantaged
people in Bangladesh. Women supported by their families
can make a large contribution to income generating
activities through the production and selling of
street food.
Chana Chur
Chana chur is essentially a mixture of two or more
main components. The most common ingredients are
fried noodles made from pulse flour, for example,
black gram flour; flour chips of different shapes
and sizes; fried and puffed dhals; cereals and peanuts.
Spices and condiments are used to flavour the mixture.
Figure 1: Preparing the dough.
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The combinaton of ingredients varies considerably depending
on the price and the market. In the rural areas, small-scale
producers often make a low cost chana chur using only
two or three components. It is usually the larger scale
producers that manufacture chana chur in different
varieties which can contain up to ten or more components
and is mainly consumed in the cities. The technology
used in making chana chur does not vary much with production
scales.
The Nutritional Value of Chana Chur
Chana chur is rich in protein and calories. Its
exact nutritional value depends on the mixture of
ingredients being used. If it is eaten with puffed
rice (muri) or other snack food, its nutritional
value increases due to the way the amino acids are
broken down. Chana chur also contains high amounts
of calories because the ingredients are all fried
together in oil.
Preparing Chana Chur
The following recipe is an example of the components
that can be used to make about one kilogramme of
chana chur.
Figure 2: The dough is extruded into hot oil.
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Ingredients
Black Gram 1kg Peas 500g Chick Peas 500g Peanuts
1.5kg Rolled Rice 500g Black Gram Flour 3.5kg Dahl
Flour 1.5kg
Fried Noodles
One part black gram flour is used to three parts
dahl flour. They are mixed together with water and
salt and kneaded until a sticky dough is formed (figure
1). The dough is pressed through a perforated sheet
of metal to form the noodles (figure 2) and these
are fried in hot oil. When the noodles are golden
in colour and crispy, (figure 3) they are drained
on a wire mesh to remove the excess oil.
Frying Other Ingredients
The chick peas are soaked in water for 4-5 hours
and then fried in hot oil. Other ingredients like
the peanuts and rolled rice are also fried in hot
oil.
Making Chana Chur
The noodles, chick peas, peanuts and rolled rice
are tossed together with powdered spices which are
added to increase the flavour of the chana chur.
Popular spices are tumeric, chilli, pepper, ground
cloves, ginger and curry. Lemon juice or citric acid
can also be added.
Equipment
The perforated metal sheet which forms the noodles
can be made using the metal from a tin drum and punching
holes into it. The metal should then be attached
to a simple wooden frame to provide support for pressing
the dough through the holes.
Figure 3: The noodles are removed from the
oil when they are a golden colour and crispy.
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Packaging
Chana chur is usually sold in half kilogramme polythene
packets which are sealed by hand using a candle.
They are sold to local stores or roadside vendors
and cost about 16 taka to buy. US$1 = 46.3 Taka @
April 1998
Chana chur can be stored for up to four months if
the packets have been well sealed. Packaging is therefore
a very important part of running a successful food
processing enterprise.
Starting a Small-Scale Food Processing Business
Before embarking upon a business venture in small-scale
food processing, the following questions should be
asked:
1. Do you have the skills you need to make the product?
2. Do you know where to sell the product? 3. Will
you make a profit? 4. Do you know where to get start
up credit from? 5. Will you make extra money for
your family?
If the answer to all these questions is YES' then
the business plan can begin.
For further information, please contact:
Shaheda Azami, IT Bangladesh, GPO Box 3881, Bangladesh.
Tel: +880 2 811934 Fax: +880 2 813134 E-mail: itdg@bdmail.net
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