Paruppu Sevai/Lentil based Rice Noodles

Today, for the BM i have chosen Paruppu Sevai.. Sevai/Thin vermicelli is a house favorite! My patti would make it often and she would make different varieties like lemon, tamarind, coconut, jaggery, til etc..Imagine one base & so many varieties!

My MIL would tell us how they would actually make it at home & make a huge batch and make different varieties.. I am glad, i am not doing the sevai at home :), as i get here the instant sevai packets.. all i have to do is boil & its ready..I know, it can't be compared to the ones which is made fresh and at home..i am not going to contest that but this definitely comes in handy :)

I heard and had Paruppu sevai for the first time post marriage.. Its supposedly S fav dish & something totally new to me.. learnt this from my MIL and now its a regular feature at home..Simple to make, with a lil advanced planning & you have a nice breakfast at hand..THe mild taste of this dish makes it ideal, even for kids..so here it comes!

Ingredients

1. Toor dal - 1 cup

2. Channa dal - 1/4 cup

3. Red Chillies - 6-8

4. Curry Leaves - a sprig

5. Oil - 2 tbsp

6. Mustard seeds - 1-1/4 tsp

7. Urad dal - 2 tap

8. Sevai - 4-5 cups

9. Salt - to taste

Preparation Time!!

1. Take both the dals in a bowl & soak it in water for 2 hrs.. You could soak the previous day, drain water after 2 hrs & refrigerate the lentils*..

2a. Cook the Sevai as per the instructions given in the packet.. I used 10 cups of water, brought it to boil & added half a packed of sevai ( which amounts to 5 cups)


2b. It takes about 10 minutes to cook. Once done, drain the water in a colander & run it through cold water for a minute & drizzle oil


2c. Once water drains completely, transfer to a big vessel & fluff it using a fork and cool it completely

3. As the sevai is getting done, take the soaked lentils, red chillies & curry leaves in a mixer and blend to a semi coarse mixture, without adding water ( Mixture similar to Lentil vadai)

4. In a pan, add 1 tbsp of oil & once warm, add mustard seeds. As it splutters, add Urad dal and as it turns brown, add the lentil mixture 

5. Mix well. It has a tendency to stick to the base of the vessel, so sauté occasionally & mix to ensure it does not stick..Add 1tsp of oil,as it sticks and mix again.. Gradually cook by mixing & breaking the lumps till it becomes flaky.. (Apart from the initial 1tbsp of oil, gradually adding 1 tsp of oil..it came upto 2 tbsp of oil)

6. Remove off flame & add this to the cooled sevai. Add salt & mix well

You don't need anything to accompany this.. If you need an accompaniment, then chutney would be a good option or curd too!


Pointers

1. Soaking the lentils previous day saves time.. But before cooking, ensure you remove it 10 minutes prior from refrigerator.. when it is very cold, might not blend well in mixer

2. Many of them, steam the lentil paste for 10 min, cool it & the blend it to get a flaky mixture.. You could try that too.. I have not done that personally yet!

3. Addition of 6-8 red chillies might seem a lot.. but the spice is reduced as we mix with Sevai, which is bland.. so this compensates! Its a mild breakfast.. definitely a good break from the usual routine

Sending this to Gayatri's WTML hosted by Jayanthi

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#16