Name: Traditional Sevai Recipe | Rice Sevai
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 2 h 40 min
Ingredients: Idly rice - 2 cups; Water - 3/4 cup (adjust for consistency); Salt - 1.5 tsp; Gingelly oil - 1 Tbsp; Oil - 1 tbsp; Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp; Urad dal - 1/2 tsp; Chana dal -1/2 tsp; Peanuts - 1 tbsp; Curry leaves - 1 strip

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Table of Contents

ABOUT

Sevai/Santhagai/Shavige is nothing but Indian rice noodles which is different from Idiyappam and is a famous healthy breakfast in Tamil Nadu and in parts of Karnataka. It is made in traditional Sevai Nazhi which is the instrument to make sevai. This is made up of Idly rice and is a famous Kongu Food / South Indian Food. It is famous in Tamil Nadu especially in Coimbatore (santhagai) and also quite popular in Karnataka where it is known as shavige.

It is a type of rice vermicelli popular in India. While typically it is made from rice, its varieties are made out of other food grains like wheat, ragi, and others can also be found.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOMEMADE SEVAI AND STORE BOUGHT SEVAI

Homemade sevai is completely made of Rice and water which leads to softness and has no preservatives. They are made into idlis and will be ready to eat when pressed with sevai nazhi (an instrument to do sevai)

On other hand, store bought sevai are dried rice sticks which have additives like tapioca, corn starch and other preservatives to make it last longer. This tastes more like semiya rather than sevai in my opinion.

SEVAI Vs IDIYAPPAM

Sevai/Santhagai is different in procedure as well as in taste. Both are made up of rice, however for sevai , idly rice is preferred over Raw rice as it gives you a fluffier and soft sevai. Whereas for Idiyappam, raw rice is used.

The cooking method for sevai is quite different, the rice is soaked and grounded to a fine batter and poured in the Idly mould. Once the Idly is cooked it is pressed in Sevai nazhi and we get a ready to eat sevai.

For Idiyappam , Mostly rice flour is used. Rice flour is cooked in hot water and will be made it to a dough. The dough is then pressed in idiyappam maker to form noodles and then steamed for it to be consumed.

Sevai is considered to be a replacement for Rice and there are different types of sevai like lemon sevai, butter sevai, tamarind sevai, mint sevai , coconut sevai etc., It is served with sambar or coconut chutney in most of the hotels around Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Idiyappam is mostly like a replacement for appam , where it is served with Kurmas and spicy gravies. They are made with different grain like Ragi, Wheat, etc.,

TIPS AND NOTES

Always prefer Idly rice over Raw rice for sevai or santhagai ,which makes it softer and fluffier.
Batter should be super fine and slightly on a thicker side with perfect ribbon consistency.
Adding gingelly oil to the ground batter ensures fantastic aroma and make your rice noodles to come out without sticking to each other.
The sevai must be made immediately once the Idly is cooked and is still very hot. Hot idly make best sevai. Once the hotness reduces it would be tough to press and you end up wasting it.

VARIATIONS

With this plain Sevai recipe you can do a lot of variation as like we do for rice.

Lemon Sevai is most the popularly available sevai in hotels. It has got the tanginess from lemon and crunchiness from the tempering
Butter Sevai is a street food in Coimbatore and in parts of Tamil Nadu where the sevai is tossed with masala and loads of butter
Tamarind sevai or Puli Sevai is a variation of plain sevai with pulikachal or puliogare mix. A tbsp of puliothare mix is tossed with sevai and tastes extremely delicious
Coconut Sevai is a mild and yummy variation made similar to coconut rice
Tomato Sevai is tossed with tangy tomato masala and tastes delicious
Sweet sevai is made with jaggery powder, coconut and plain sevai with coconut milk.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS WITH PHOTOS

Wash the Idly rice and Soak it for 2 hours
Grind it with salt and water in grinder or mixy (former is preferred) and make it to a fine batter which is neither too lose nor too thick. It should be on slightly thicker side with ribbon consistency .
To the batter add gingelly oil and give it a nice mix.
No need to rest or ferment the batter. Straight away pour them into idly moulds.
Steam the Idly as like normal idlies for 10-12 minutes till it is firm and completely cooked.
To know if it is cooked , pork a knife or fork and moreover it will be very easy to take it from the mould unlike normal idlies. It will not be sticking to the mould.
Most important is to take the idly hot and put it inside the sevai nazhi. If you can’t handle the heat while putting idlies inside the nazhi , make use of spoon. A regular sevai nazhi will accommodate 2-3 idlies. Close and rotate the thread until firm.
Once it is firm , start to rotate it. It will be slightly tight but will be easy when as you do. Ask someone to hold the legs of nazhi so that you feel easy to rotate it.
Make sure the idlis are hot and cold idlies will not yield good sevai. Turn continuously and complete till all your idlies have come out.
Small amount of idly will be left at the end which can be put along with next batch and continue the process. You can get non sticky and tasty , ready to eat sevai.
If you like it plain tempered sevai without flavour, just to a pan , add oil , mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves and some peanuts and toss with plain sevai.
Super tasty sevai is ready to eat.
Happy Eating!!

STORAGE

Sevai can be packed in airtight and store in freezer for up to 20 days and can be thawed and used. This is applicable for plain sevai only. Any onions or tempering added to sevai will not last longer.