Vella Sevai / Indian Rice Noodles with Jaggery

The last few days, I have been boring people with my posts on Indian rice noodles called sevai. I dedicated some time to make these noodles using two different methods, and prepared the most common savory and sweet versions using the noodles.

In this post, I am wrapping up the series (at least for now!) by writing about another method of preparing the rice (to make the noodles), and summarizing all the different ways in which the noodles can be prepared. Firstly, you can either make a rice batter or rice flour. Then, you can either steam the rice batter to form "idlis" and then put the idlis through a noodle press and make the noodles, or you can make a rice dough with the batter/flour, cook the dough and then press through a noodle maker, or you can put the rice dough through a noodle press to make noodles and then steam the noodles. Sounds a little confusing? I have tried to elaborately list out the steps below. Hope it helps!

I'm also sharing a very simple recipe to sweeten the noodles. Savory versions of the noodles are more common than sweet versions. But, this sweet version is really the easiest of all. All it takes is to make a jaggery (or brown sugar) syrup that's flavored with coconut and cardamom. Mix and cook the sevai in this syrup for a fragrant and soft dessert

Ulutham Sevai / Indian Rice Noodles Spiced with Black Gram

Sevai is a short and delicate rice noodle that's popular in South-India. It takes on the flavor of the seasonings in which it is mixed, so there are many different ways of spicing these noodles. I have been posting some of the more common versions in this space. In this version, the rice noodles are mixed with a simple spiced seasoning made from black gram.

There are also a few different ways of making the rice noodles with either rice batter, or rice flour. I have written about two methods here and here. Today, I am writing about a third method.

This is a method that is very commonly used by most families. My in-laws follow this method, but this requires one to act fast and with skill, because the noodles need to be squeezed out when the cooked rice balls are hot. When they cool down, it becomes hard to squeeze them. This method also works much better using a traditional sevai nazhi made with iron and with a rotating equipment on top to squeeze out the noodles.

Paruppu Usili Sevai / Rice Noodles with Spiced Lentils

Sevai is Indian rice noodles. It is prepared through a slightly involved process with ground rice flour or rice batter that is cooked, thickened, and made into noodles. There are a few different ways of preparing these rice noodles.  I discussed one method here, here is another slightly varied method, which actually works much better using a traditional iron noodle press (sevai nazhi) because it  requires a stronger set of arms! My mom and her side of the family often use this method.

The prepared noodles are mixed with many types of spicy seasonings. In this version, bengal gram and yellow lentils are ground with chillies and curry leaves and fried to a crispy crumbly mixture. The noodles are then mixed with the spiced lentils to make a really tasty dish that is packed with protein, making the dish more healthy and nutritious, in addition to being delicious.