Coconut and Lemon Sevai (Rice Noodles)

 

 

Coconut Sevai

 

Ingredients

1. Sevai / dried rice noodles – 100 gm (half packet)

    Salt – To taste

2. Oil – 1 tsp

    Mustard seeds – 1/4 – 1/2 tsp

    Dried red chilies – 2, broken

    Urad dal / chana dal – 1 tsp

   Cashews / peanuts – A few

   Green chilly – 1, finely chopped

   Curry leaves – 1 sprig

   Hing / asafoetida – 1 pinch

3. Grated coconut – 1/2 cup

Method

1. Cook the rice noodles as per the package instructions. OR Heat water in a saucepan / any vessel and bring to a boil. Add the dried sevai, 1/2 tsp oil and enough salt. Cook covered for 4 – 5 minutes until soft and done. Drain well and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a cheena chatti / any deep pan. Splutter mustard seeds and fry dry red chilies. Add urad dal, cashews and fry until light brown. Add green chilies and curry leaves (you can add finely chopped carrots and onions also, if you wish). Stir for a few seconds and add hing. Add the grated coconut, stir for about 10 seconds and then add the cooked sevai. Mix everything well and taste-check for salt. Serve with coconut chutney and pappad or ethapazham varattiyathu/ sweetened coconut milk etc.

Lemon Sevai

Ingredients

1. Sevai / dried rice noodles – 100 gm (half packet)

    Salt – To taste

2. Oil – 1 tsp

    Mustard seeds – 1/4 – 1/2 tsp

    Dried red chilies – 2, broken

    Urad dal / chana dal – 1 tsp

    Cashews / peanuts – A few

    Green chilly – 1, finely chopped

    Curry leaves – 1 sprig

    Hing / asafoetida – 1 pinch

    Turmeric powder – 1 - 2 pinches

3. Lemon/lime juice – Of 1 lemon

Method

1. Cook the rice noodles as per the package instructions. OR Heat sufficient water in a saucepan / any vessel and bring to a boil. Add the dried sevai, 1/2 tsp oil and enough salt. Cook covered for 4 – 5 minutes until the noodles are soft and done. Drain well and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a cheena chatti / any deep pan. Splutter mustard seeds and fry dry red chilies. Add urad dal, cashews and fry until light brown. Add green chilies and curry leaves. Stir for a few seconds and add turmeric powder and hing. Now add the cooked sevai. Mix everything well and taste-check for salt. Switch off. Add lemon juice and mix everything well. Serve with pappad.

Tips

1. Instead of dried rice noodles, you can use left-over idiyappams / string hopppers. Just tear the idiyappam into small strings/pieces and use in the  above recipes.

Sweet Sevai/ Idiyappam

2. To make sweet sevai, combine the cooked rice noodles or torn idiyappam with sugar or jaggery, grated coconut, little ghee(optional) and little cardamom powder / crushed cardamom. Combine well with your fingers. You can garnish it with ghee fried cashews and raisins. Serve as is or with fresh thick coconut milk.