Sevai

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Sevai

History

According to food historian K. T. Achaya, references in the Sangam literature mentions sevai and idiyappam around 1st century AD.^[4] Lokopakara (1025 CE) a cookbook in Kannada also mentions method of making sevai and a mold-presser used for it.^[5]

Preparation

Sevai is mostly made fresh starting from

• Soaking of
  parboiled
  rice in cold water for about 3 hours
• Grinding of soaked rice using a wet grinder into a fine paste
• Making of
  dumplings
  from the rice paste and steaming the chunks
• Pressing of cooked dumplings into fine strands using a type of sevai press

Ingredients

Homemade sevai is often made from 100% rice (in addition to water and salt) whereas dry

The presses used to make sevai and idiyappam are essentially the same. Sevai is also typically not served with curries like other side dishes but rather mixed with a flavoring like lemon, tamarind paste, coconut, or uddina pudi (a type of powder made from black gram dal in Karnataka). Called shavige in Karnataka, it can also be prepared with cooked vegetables and tempered with spices with a dash of lemon juice.

Sevai is typically served in Tamil Nadu and other South Indian communities as a breakfast or tiffin dish, but also served as a dessert such as