Gonva Shevai Panna / Seasoned Wheat Sevai With Corn Kernels and Carrot.

“Gonva Shevai Panna / Seasoned Wheat Sevai With Corn Kernels and Carrot” … A delicious ~ nutritious snack prepared out of our own Amchi Sun Dried gonva shevai with the added goodness of corn and carrot … Corn and orange colored carrots are available in plenty now ... best way is to add them to dishes and children are sure to relish this without a murmur … try it, taste mey best Mummy, baccha party aur ghar key sab log khush … tastes Yummilicious ….... 

** Sun-dried “Govan shevai (wheat sevaiyan)” is a dish known well amongst Konkani Saraswats”. It is often prepared in almost every amchi home specially during monsoon time. Sun dried shevai is either prepared at home during summer time to stock up for monsoon and round the year using or can be purchased from stores as they are readily available in southern food stores all round India. I always stock up wheat and rice shevai for monsoon months, as sometimes it becomes difficult to get out of the house if if rains heavily. Also during these 4 months there are many auspicious / festive days during which we prefer having satvik food as Pooja and Naivedyam are offered to God and we do not eat rice products before that, which in konkani we call kHarkatey. These are easily available in south Indian stores during the month of May and can be bought and stocked at home as they remain good for months. 

** I have already posted shevai panna / seasoned sevai a few times before. I had also posted a few weeks back the same with addition of moong dal. Shevai is a very versatile dish just like rice and can be adapted in many variations. It tastes awesome when cooked like pulav with addition of veggies. I prepared so many different variations of this shevai over the decades that I myself have forgotten the combos. Those were prior to blogging days. There are so many variations in dishes to be posted and I will keep doing so as time permits. Today I had prepared shevai panna with the addition of gajar / carrots and corn kernels which are available in plenty in the market now. Try this out, children who are usually reluctant to eat shevai as it is will eat this variation with joy. You can also take this to office in lunch box and get a nutritious lunch instead of the same routine ones. 

** Here is the simple method of preparing “Gonva Shevai Panna / Seasoned Wheat Sevai With Corn Kernels and Carrot” topped with fresh grated coconut …. My Style …. 

** Wash and soak about 250-300 gms of govan (wheat shevai) in plenty of water. It get softened in 20-30 minutes maximum. Strain the water, put in a colander and rinse well, keep aside and allow the water to drain off completely. The shevai will have softened, so all excess water should be drained off completely. This is very important step in preparation of shevai that should turn out perfect and not mushy. 

** Note : Wheat shevai quality depends differently each time. If you find that the shevai when soaked within 10 minutes does not slowly turn to becoming softer but remain firm, then please add in some hot water to the same, in all the water will turn slightly warmer than lukewarm and this helps it in turning soft. This you should follow only after judging the quality of the shevai purchased. If the shevai is good quality based addition of warm water may turn it mushy, so be careful and follow the hot water method only if need be. 

** Peel off the skin of one large carrot and cut them into small cubes, that the size of corn kernels. Put one half a cup of corn kernels along with the carrot cubes in a colander and rinse under running water. Keep aside for 5-10 minutes and allow the water to drain off completely. 

** Now in a thick bottomed kadai add in 1 tblsp of ghee and 1 tblsp of coconut oil, when hot lower the heat and add in 1 tsp of mustard (rai / sasam) seeds, when they begin to splutter add in 8-10 green chillies slit lengthwise and cut into 2 inch pieces if long. Fry for a minute and add in 1 tsp of hing powder, 2 red chillies cut into pieces and 8-10 curry leaves, stir for a minute. 

** Now add in the drained corn kernels and carrot pieces and mix well. Sprinkle some water, lower the heat, cover with a tight lid and let cook till done. Stir in once or twice in between and sprinkle some water if necessary too for the ingredients to get cooked. 

** Note : You can also put the carrot and corn kernels in a microwave safe glass plate and cook on high uncovered for 4-5 minutes. It is cooked perfectly, just slightly undone, remove and add it into the kadai after tempering process. I follow this method as it saves on time and somehow I am so used to this method. However, you can follow the kadai method too. 

** Once the carrots and corn are cooked, add in salt to taste and mix well. While adding salt keep in mind the addition of wheat shevai later too, as we will not add in any salt later. Now add in the drained wheat (govan) shevai and mix well in light motion. Do not mix using force as then the shevai will get crushed. Cover and cook till done. Lastly add in a cup of freshly grated coconut and mix well. Garnish on top with a tablespoon of freshly chopped coriander leaves (Optional). Remove and keep it aside covered for a few minutes. 

** “Gonva Shevai Panna / Seasoned Wheat Sevai With Corn Kernels and Carrot” is done and ready to be served. Serve this fresh and hot for breakfast with some pickle for company or fresh curds. You can even carry this in your lunch box to work or serve it as a snack to have a light dinner. Basically this dish with the added goodness of veggies can be served any time of the day. Young and old all will like this dish with a difference very much. Enjoy this one till I come up with some more combinations. Do send in a feedback if possible, it keeps me going and wanting to do more.