An Introduction To Lemon Sevai Recipe:
Relish this gluten-free rice noodles seasoned with green chili and mustard seeds accompanied by a spicy coconut chutney in the midst of alluring aroma of filter coffee..
An Introduction On Lemon Sevai:
Sevai is nothing but steamed rice noodles that originated from the Indian Subcontinent much known for its versatility and silky soft texture. There are many varieties of rice sevai like sweet sevai, coconut sevai, tamarind sevai, onion sevai, tomato sevai, pepper sevai, sesame sevai, masala sevai and cardamom sevai, while the modern versions include mushroom sevai and egg sevai too. Lemon Sevai is one such popular variety that not only appears lucrative but also tastes fantabulous. It is one of the age old recipes that has been prepared by our ancestors and has been passed onto generations with pride, and till now it holds an exclusive place in South Indian weddings and special occasions.
Its Origin:
When we look into the origin of rice sevai, we could get interesting facts about the marvelous culinary journey of India which adapted itself to foreign cuisines like the Chinese and the Italian, which paved way for the origin of Indian rice noodles, i,e the rice sevai, seviyan and falooda. Various sources from the history including Marco Polo's travelogue have mentioned about the existence of noodles in the Indian Cuisine. Ragi sevai came into vogue well before the introduction of rice sevai, and it has been used intensively during the 2300 B.C and much surprisingly it included ragi seviyan (semiya) and even a kind of pasta type product made of ragi and other millets. The process of food integration into Indian food culture has been there over 4000 years which is very amazing to know. Rice sevai came into existence owing to the starchy staple of the country and it slowly led to the evolution of many varieties including this Lemon Sevai. It has been widely used in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and some parts of Kerala and slowly spread to other parts of the country too and has crossed the national borders.
Its Popularity:
Though Lemon Sevai is popular at all times, you can find it predominantly in the South Indian weddings, parties and special occasions for breakfasts and dinners. For instance, after a grand breakfast and sumptuous lunch, the dinner would always be appreciated if it is fairly light and soothing to the stomach. And during these times, the simple Lemon Sevai makes its humble presence to make you feel comfortable as it is easy to digest and does not make you feel heavy or bloated. It is commonly prepared at all households at any part of the day and it makes a perfect dish for the lunchbox and after school snack. It is equally relished by kids, adults and elderly people as it is attractive, soft and fluffy. The spicy tangy combination gives a zing to the Lemon Sevai and it tickles your taste buds to want for more. Its deep yellow color with green bits of curry leaves and green chilies make it all the more lucrative and appealing to the eyes.
Here comes the recipe of velvety soft Lemon Sevai which can be made in a jiffy with just a handful of ingredients :
Ingredients Required To Make Lemon Sevai Recipe:
How To Make Lemon Sevai Recipe:
Soak a cup of Idli rice for about four to five hours approximately.
Grind it into a smooth batter and keep it aside.
Heat a thick bottomed kadai and tip in a little oil to grease it and once the kadai is heated, just squirt in the rice batter into the kadai while stirring continuously.
Keep stirring for a minute or two until it thickens and forms a lump.
When the dough thickens and gathers into a whole mass just turn off the stove and let it cool for a while.
After it cools partially, just apply a little oil in both the hands and take out the dough and roll it into two or three (cylindrical) portions and keep aside.
Take the Sevai Maker (Idiyappam Maker) and grease it with a little oil and place the Idiyappam achu (tiny round plate) at the bottom and ensure that it is place intact.
Now, take a dough roll and drop it into the Maker and place the top portion over it and hold it in both the hands with the handle provided.
Take an Idiyappam plate and squeeze out the dough over it in circular strands and when the dough gets over, refill it with the dough rolls and fill up the plates alike.
Now arrange the idiyappam plates in order and place it inside the idiyappam cooker after pouring in two cups of water inside it.
Place it over the stove and turn on the flame and steam cook for about fifteen minutes approximately.
Turn off the stove and take the plates out and let it cool for a while.
Take out the boiled sevai and transfer it to a plate and scramble it gently after cooling it for a while.
Heat a small pan and tip in a teaspoon of gingelly oil and when it is heated, just toss over some mustard seeds to it.
When it pops up, just add half a teaspoon of chana dal and broken urad dal each.
When they turn light golden brown, throw in two slit green chilies and follow it up with some lush green curry leaves and let it splutter.
Now lower the flame and tip in a pinch of asafoetida powder and two pinches of turmeric powder along with the required salt and stir in.
Turn off the stove after a second and squeeze out a whole lemon and finally add the crumbled rice sevai and mix altogether gently.
Close the kadai for five minutes and the heat present in the kadai is sufficient enoughto make the rice sevai soft, warm and fluffy.
Now the delicious Lemon Rice sevai is ready to eat. Serve it with coconut chutney along with a hot cup of filter coffee or ginger tea on a pleasant morning.
Tips And Tricks To Make Lemon Sevai Recipe:
Some Useful Tips:
- Making the sevai is as easy as making Idli or dosa and therefore you can give it a try without much ado and also if you are passionate about making the home made rice sevai.
- You can also make the lemon sevai with the leftover rice sevai which you have prepared a day before.
- Different kinds of sevai maker is available at all Indian Stores and you can buy any model according to your liking and wash it well and wipe it with a clean cloth before use.
- Cook the wet rice batter in a thick bottomed kadai with a little oil until it becomes a whole mass of smooth dough like that of a kozhukattai maavu.
- You have separate Idiyappam plates available in the market and it can be placed inside the idli cooker and steam for about ten to fifteen minutes approximately.
- Lemon Sevai tastes the best if it is mildly flavored and therefore you need not add anything to spruce it up.
- You can also use dried red chilies instead of green chilies or you can even add both.
- Similarly, you can add some roasted peanuts or one or two cashews and it is purely optional.
- Be mindful to add the lemon juice only after turning off the flame to get the best result and it is also the proper way of adding it to the sevai.
- The tempering of Lemon Sevai is similar to that of Lemon rice and therefore you can go easy once the sevai is ready.
- Lemon Sevai is usually accompanied with Coconut chutney although it tastes awesome even if taken as such and you can accompany it with some crunch like potato chips or vadagam when you serve it for kids.
- You can conveniently serve it at room temperature or even straight away from the refrigerator as it need not be served hot to taste the best.
Ingredients
Directions
Soak a cup of Idli rice for about four to five hours approximately.
Grind it into a smooth batter and keep it aside.
Heat a thick bottomed kadai and tip in a little oil to grease it and once the kadai is heated, just squirt in the rice batter into the kadai while stirring continuously.
Keep stirring for a minute or two until it thickens and forms a lump.
When the dough thickens and gathers into a whole mass just turn off the stove and let it cool for a while.
After it cools partially, just apply a little oil in both the hands and take out the dough and roll it into two or three (cylindrical) portions and keep aside.
Take the Sevai Maker (Idiyappam Maker) and grease it with a little oil and place the Idiyappam achu (tiny round plate) at the bottom and ensure that it is place intact.
Now, take a dough roll and drop it into the Maker and place the top portion over it and hold it in both the hands with the handle provided.
Take an Idiyappam plate and squeeze out the dough over it in circular strands and when the dough gets over, refill it with the dough rolls and fill up the plates alike.
Now arrange the idiyappam plates in order and place it inside the idiyappam cooker after pouring in two cups of water inside it.
Place it over the stove and turn on the flame and steam cook for about fifteen minutes approximately.
Turn off the stove and take the plates out and let it cool for a while.
Take out the boiled sevai and transfer it to a plate and scramble it gently after cooling it for a while.
Heat a small pan and tip in a teaspoon of gingelly oil and when it is heated, just toss over some mustard seeds to it.
When it pops up, just add half a teaspoon of chana dal and broken urad dal each.
When they turn light golden brown, throw in two slit green chilies and follow it up with some lush green curry leaves and let it splutter.
Now lower the flame and tip in a pinch of asafoetida powder and two pinches of turmeric powder along with the required salt and stir in.
Turn off the stove after a second and squeeze out a whole lemon and finally add the crumbled rice sevai and mix altogether gently.
Close the kadai for five minutes and the heat present in the kadai is sufficient enoughto make the rice sevai soft, warm and fluffy.
Now the delicious Lemon Rice sevai is ready to eat. Serve it with coconut chutney along with a hot cup of filter coffee or ginger tea on a pleasant morning.