“Lemon Rice Sevai (Instant Shevai/ Idiyappam)” … a delicious quick fix tangy and spicy south Indian breakfast/ tiffin/ lunch box dish prepared with easily available machine made instant rice sevai … you can prepare it as it is or with a dash of lemon … either way it tastes awesome … Yummilicious …
** I am sure almost all south Indians are familiar with Lemon flavored sevai (shevai/ idiyappam) prepared with instant sun dried rice shevai or with those prepared freshly at home. Both taste awesome however the ones prepared fresh at home are tedious and consume time where as the sun dried ones are almost instant that hardly consume time in preparation. Almost all of us store these year round at home as it falls in handy for various reasons. I have shared simple seasoned shevai with the same ones a few days back, this is also almost same except in lemon flavor which imparts an tangy taste.
** About sun dried rice shevai/ sevai/ sevaiyan/ idiyappam I must say that these are thin machine made store bought ones that are easily available all round the world these days. Very thin in texture unlike the homemade ones and can be cooked easily when in case of emergency. There are few ways of preparing these, however for these thin machine made sevai the most appropriate method is by using boiling water and draining method as done with rice, which gives perfect result, just check out the recipes via. common link shared at the bottom of this recipe for more choice.
** Here is my recipe, a simple method of preparing “Lemon Rice Sevai (Instant Shevai/ Idiyappam)” … my style ... a healthy breakfast/ lunch box/ tiffin snack, try it out and enjoy with family and friends ...
** Note : I have already shared this recipe before, but sharing the same here again, the previous one was prepared with thick textured sun dried sevai which was also purchased from stores, however here I have used very thin textured vermicelli type rice sevai, which again is also store purchased, and thought of sharing the same. You just need to be careful and not leave it aside for more period of time to avoid the sevai getting soggy as this one really cooks fast and you need to be careful.
** Boil 2 litres of water in a deep stainless steel vessel. Add in a few drops of oil (Optional). When the water comes to boiling point, add into it about 250-300 gms of sun dried shevai and mix well. Remove from fire and keep it aside covered for 5 minutes or so, check out in between. When you see the shevai getting softer, drain off the water completely by adding it into a colander or by gently tilting the vessel.
** Now rinse the same under cold water if in colander or pour cold water into the vessel and remove the excess water. Repeat rinsing, until the shevai is not hot anymore. Keep aside for few minutes, for the water to drain off properly. This process is done to cool the shevai and arrest its overcooking process. We do not want the shevai to be soggy and this method gives you perfectly cooked sevai that is very tasty.
** In a thick bottomed pan, add 1 tblspn of coconut oil (nariyal tel/ narlel tela), when hot add 1 tsp of urad dal (black gram dal) and fry till it turns a little bit brown, lower the heat and then add in 1 tsp of mustard seeds (sasam/ rai), when they start to splutter, add in 1 tsp of hing/ asafoetida powder, 3-4 green chillies (tarni mirsanga/ hari mirchi) split lengthwise or cut to pieces, 2-3 dry red chillies (Optional) also cut to pieces and 8-10 curry leaves (kadipatta/ karbevu) and fry for a minute or two.
** Add in handful of roasted/ fried ground nuts (peanuts/ shengdana/ nerkadlo), a large pinch of haldi (turmeric) powder and stir well. Add cooked, strained shevai, salt (namak/ meeta) to taste and mix well. Cover and let cook on low heat evenly for a few minutes on its own steam just to warm up all the ingredients seasoned. Keep mixing in between to avoid the shevai getting stuck to the bottom. When done remove from fire and then add in freshly squeezed juice of 1 large sized lemon (limbiyo/ nimboo) and mix all together. Cover and keep aside for 5 minutes for flavors to seep in.
** Note : You can add 2-3 tblspn of freshly grated coconut (soyi/ nariyal) a little bit of finely chopped coriander leaves (dhania/ kottambari pallo) too, it tastes wonderful, this time I have not added them. Again, if allergic to peanuts, just skip it or you can replace the same with some fried cashew nuts (kaju/ kajjubi), it tastes great, I sometimes do so as we too are avoiding peanuts these days.
** “Lemon Rice Sevai (Instant Shevai/ Idiyappam)” is done and ready to served. This Shevai is usually served as it is and does not need anything served along with it, but in some homes they serve it along with some sev/farsan etc. or even a dash of pickle. You may even serve the same along with some chutney or sambar too. I serve this simple as it is as we prefer simple breakfast, at times a little bit of sev that’s it, tastes yumz. Do try this out if sun dried shevai is available in your vicinity.
** You can check out the same recipe prepared plain flavored via the link shared below, I have also shared a common link to all sevai items that can be prepared in various methods and relished with family and friends …
Hi mam!
ReplyDeleteCan I use the store bought vermicelli for this recipe? If yes, how do I use the vermicelli and prepare it for using in the recipe?
Thanks!
Hello, yes you can use store bough vermicelli. I have mentioned in the recipe about the method too. Cooking method depends on which brand you purchase, just check out the method mentioned on the pack, cook the vermicelli and then follow tempering method as mentioned in this recipe, it will turn out perfect. I am sorry about getting back so late, somehow missed this comment, I hope you do try it out. Happy Diwali.
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