Paruppu Usili Sevai
An extremely traditional, tasty and wholesome tiffin item Paruppu Usili Sevai is my paternal grandma’s pride. She was a great cook herself and never hesitated to learn new recipes even from youngsters less than half her age. She was such a humble person. Having learnt this recipe from her, every time I see my family enjoy the sevai, I thank her in my heart for teaching me this wonderful dish.
Sevai is nothing but steamed rice vermicelli, very healthy like the South Indian Idli and suitable for all age groups. Traditionally sevai is made at home from scratch, which is a lengthy process, but tastes awesome. To make a quicker version I’ve used the instant variety which is easily available in shops.
Generally sevai is bland on its own and needs some accompaniment or add ons to make it more tasty. There are many ways to make it into a complete meal and one such variation is this Paruppu Usili Sevai. As it has all the basic nutrients, (carbs from the rice vermicelli/sevai, protein from the dhal, vitamins and minerals from the vegetables and curry leaves, good fat from the fresh coconut) this becomes an ideal lunch box dish. Try this and I’m sure you will also thank my grandma for this awesome creation!!
Ingredients
Rice Sevai – 1 packet (approximately 200 gms)
Water – 2 L
Salt – 2 tsp (or to taste)
Cooking oil – 4 to 5 tbsp
Fresh coconut grated – 1/2 cup
Thuvar dhal/Toor dhal – 1 cup
Dry red chillies – 4 or 5 (or to taste)
Asafoetida/hing – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Urad dhal – 1 tbsp
Fresh curry leaves – a handful
French beans (finely chopped) – 1 cup
Carrots (finely chopped) – 1/2 cup
Yield
Serves 4
Prep time
10 mins to chop the vegetables
3 hours for soaking the dhal
5 mins to grind the dhal
Cook time
25 mins
Method
1) Wash the dhal twice and soak it in water for 3 hours.
2) Boil 2 liters of water in a wide pan with half tsp of salt and half tsp of oil. When the water starts to boil, add the instant rice sevai, simmer and cover the pan.
3) After 5 mins, open the pan, drain the sevai in a colander. Immediately wash it in running cold water and set aside to drain completely.
4) Heat a heavy bottomed pan and add half a tsp of oil. Add the chopped French beans and carrot. Season with salt, mix, cover until the veggies cook (till crunchy, not mushy). Set aside.
5) After 3 hours of soaking the dhal, drain the water completely.
6) In a mixer/grinder take the dhal, dry red chillies, 1 tsp of salt and asafoetida. Grind to a coarse paste without adding water at all. Pulsing the mixer/grinder without continuous grinding will help to grind evenly and coarsely.
7) Again heat the heavy bottomed pan, add 3 to 3 1/2 tbsp of oil. When mildly hot add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then add the urad dhal and fry until it turns golden. Now add the curry leaves.
8) Now add the coarsely ground dhal mixture. Reduce the heat to minimum. Mix this with a flat spatula so that the dhal fully mixes with the oil. Now let it fry in low heat. Make sure to mix and turn it around every 2 mins once. Slowly the mixture will cook and turn crispy, crunchy and golden on all sides.
9) Now add the cooked vegetables, boiled sevai and coconut. Mix well light handedly without breaking the sevai. Keep the heat to a minimum, cover the pan for 2 to 3 mins for the dhal mixture, sevai and vegetables to blend well and absorb the flavors.
10) Enjoy paruppu usili sevai anytime of the day!
Notes
- I’ve used instant rice sevai in this recipe, which is easily available in most shops. The same can be substituted with other kind of millet sevai varieties too.
- I have used thuvar dhal in this recipe, but you can alternate with a combination of moong dhal and thuvar dhal or only moong dhal or a combination of chana dhal, moong dhal and thuvar dhal. Process being the same, the end result will slightly differ in each variation.
- Other alternatives for the vegetables are cauliflower, celery, green capsicum, cabbage, snake guard, okra, cluster beans, flat beans. A combination of two or more vegetables can also be used.
- Even if the vegetable portion is eliminated, still the sevai tastes great. Adding vegetables helps in making it a complete meal.
PRO TIPS:
- The same recipe can also be made with any kind of vermicelli and it tastes equally great. If you get roasted vermicelli, then go for it, or roast the vermicelli (on low heat) with a tbsp of oil until golden. Unlike instant rice sevai, vermicelli has to be boiled in water for 5 to 7 mins, until cooked softly. Drain, run under cold water, set aside to drip and cool completely. The remaining process is the same.
- Using virgin coconut oil instead of normal cooking oil enhances the flavor of the paruppu usili sevai.
One Comment
MotherOfNOMS
Thank you Pushkala for the feedback!! Motivates me more to share such treasures. I’m happy you enjoyed it 🙂