Crispy Sev is the Indian alternative to potato chips. Our Gujrati brothers and sisters are known for their love for their Fafda and farsan. But I say this love for farsan reaches the corners of India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Gujrat to Arunacahal. We love our sev – that spicy, crunchy snack that can be eaten any time of night or day and it was our goto snack for cricket matches and movie time before the popcorn craze invaded us. If you have never tried crispy sev, or fried spiced noodled made from gram flour, you are in for a treat.
Diwali Faral is a big deal in Maharashtra, the Western Indian state I call home. With less than a week to Diwali, interesting aromas emanate from every kitchen and pervade staircases and hallways in any neighborhood. Sev is an essential part of the Diwali Faral. Last year, I shared a round up of the best recipes for Diwali Faral. Another Diwali mainstay is my rava besan ladu. Today I want to share a simple recipe for crispy Sev.
Sev is made with besan or gram flour and is very simple in its basic avatar. There are many new mutations like tomato sev, palak or spinach sev, garlic sev and they just add more variety. There is the super spicy Bikaneri sev that Haldiram’s made so popular, the thick Ratlami Sev and so on. The recipe I am sharing today is very simple.
The most important thing you need to make sev is the sorya or the Sev mould. I searched around and good old Amazon actually sells this in the US. A brass one, no less. A brass sorya lasts forever, and indeed, it is one of the things that is handed down from generation to generation. You can make chaklis, murukus, and many other Indian snacks with this one device, so it is a good investment.
Here is the recipe for crispy sev.
Crispy sev made with gram flour is a popular Indian snack for Diwali and around the year. Simple vegan recipe explains step by step. Must try recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 cups besan
- ¾ cup hot oil
- ½ cup+ water
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground ajwain seeds
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp hing or Asafetida
- Oil for deep frying
Method
- Sev and chakli sancha or mould
- Take gram flour or besan in a bowl.
- Add salt, turmeric, hing or Asafetida and Ajwain powder.
- Add hot oil and mix lightly.
- Slowly add water and knead to form a dough. Dough should not be too tight.
- Heat oil in a wok or kadai for deep frying.
- Make two equal portions of dough to be added to Sev sancha.
- Line the inside of the sancha with water and dip the sev plate in water.
- Now add the dough to the sancha and screw the top on.
- Test the oil to make sure it is hot by adding a small piece of dough.
- Now hold the sancha above hot oil and start turning the handle and moving your hand around the wok so that the sev does not fall in a bunch. You want the sev to create a circular pattern in the oil so that it does not all stick together.
- Cut off the stream of sev with your finger once you have enough in the wok.
- Now fry the sev till golden brown.
- Transfer to a paper lined plate and let cool.
- Crush with your hands before storing in air tight container.
- Crispy sev is ready to be enjoyed.
I hope you are ready to start cranking that arm to make this super simple crispy sev snack for Diwali. Wish you peace and prosperity and happy moments sharing this food with your family.
