Sweet and Lemon Sevai

Sevai is a very tasty South – Indian tiffin recipe. When you have a packet of ready-made sevai, your option to make a tasty meal is endless. From Sweet to Savory, Sevai is so versatile that it can be tasty food. Though a ready-made sevai is easy to prepare, we need to know the exact nuisances to make a non- sticky sevai base. In my part of the world, we usually get 777 brand rice sevai. I usually get a packet of this every month to try out different flavors. In this recipe post, I have provided the steps to prepare a basic jaggery / Vella Sevai (Sweet version) and a Lemon Sevai (Savory version). In the future, I will also add other varieties of Sevai I have tried.
Servings: 5 yield(s)
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Ingredients
    Main Ingredients
  • 500 g Rice Sevai
  • 1 tsp oil
    • For Sweet Version
  • 0.25 cup Grated Coconut
  • 0.25 cup Jaggery
  • 1 pinch Cardamom Powder
  • 4 g Cashews
  • 1 tbsp Ghee
    • For Savory Version
  • 3 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 0.25 tsp Mustard Seeds
  • 0.25 tsp Urad dal
  • 0.25 tsp Channa Dal
  • 0.5 tsp Peanuts
  • 3 stick Red Chilli
  • 0.5 tsp Grated Ginger
  • 2 tsp Gingelly Oil
  • 1 stick Curry Leaves
  • 2 pinch Hing
  • 1 dash Salt
Instructions
  1. In a wide pan, unpack and place the instant Sevai. Boil hot water and pour it over the sevai. Drizzle a pinch of salt and a tsp of oil to avoid sticking.
  2. Cover the pan with a lid and let it sit for exactly 4 mins. Drain off the water in a colander and steam it in an idli pot for about 5 mins. This is a key step and must be followed for a very soft, non- sticky sevai.
  3. Once its done, spread it over a plate and allowed it to come to room temperature. Now the sevai is ready to be prepared in many versions.
  4. For the sweet sevai, heat a pan and add 1/4th cup of a jaggery powder along with 1/4 cup of water. Let it dissolve completely and filter the impurities.
  5. Pour the jaggery syrup and heat for about three mins until the jaggery becomes sticky consistency. Switch off the stove and add a part of the cooked sevai.
  6. Toss it over and add the grated coconut along with cardamom powder. Heat a small pan, and add ghee to it. Once it simmers, add cashews and roast them. Add it to the sweet sevai.
  7. For the lemon sevai, grate ginger and set aside. Heat a pan and add gingelly oil. When it turns hot, add mustard seeds and urad dal. Once it gets roasted, add channa dal, peanuts, red chili, grated ginger, and curry leaves.
  8. Simmer the stove and add the rest of the cooked sevai. Add turmeric powder, hing and salt to taste.
  9. Mix well together and switch off the stove. Squeeze the juice from the lemon and combine for uniformness. Serve sweet and lemon sevai together.