How to make Besan Sev

Besan sev is a crispy vermicelli thread like mildly-spiced snack made of gram flour. It is usually made during festivals or on any special occasions. I occasionally make it as a snack and also use it for making Kerala mixture. They are so good to munch on and that’s why they make for such a fabulous tea-time snack.

One might notice various types of sev- ranging from thin strands to thick strands. Depending upon the size of the sev it is used in a variety of recipes. Like thin sev are used for garnishing chaat, bhel, pani-puri, etc, while the thick sev is used as a snack in itself or even used as an ingredient in some dishes.

The sev can be flavoured as per one’s choice. A variety of ingredients such as red pepper, black pepper, crushed garlic, spinach puree or tomato puree can be added to make different varieties of sev. However, if you are planning to make the sev for garnishing purpose, its better to keep it simple.

For making sev one needs the sev machine. This machine comes with pre-fabricated moulds, which can be used to prepare sev for varying thickness.

Besan sev can be made in bulk since it can stay fresh for about a month when stored in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Ingredients for Besan Sev Recipe:

Gram Flour (Besan) – 2 cups
Asafoetida – 1 tsp (dissolved in 2 tbsp of water)
Garlic – 10-12 pods (Grind to a fine paste)
Roasted carom seed powder – 1 tsp
Red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt – 3/4 tsp
Water- As required for kneading
Oil- 2 tbsp
Oil-For deep frying

How to make Besan Sev:

1. Sieve the gram flour and to it add oil, asafoetida, garlic paste, red chilli powder and salt.
2. Knead with enough water to make a very firm dough. It will be bit sticky though, for that apply some oil on your hands to even it out.
3. Grease the inside of the sev making machine and fit it with the appropriate mesh according to the size of the sev you want to make.
4. Insert a handful of the prepared dough inside the sev machine and tighten the lid. As you press it down you will notice thin sev coming out.
5. Heat enough oil in a deep frying pan. Check by adding a small piece of the the dough. If the piece rises after a few seconds without changing colour, the oil is sufficiently hot.
6. Holding the machine over the pan, start making the sev by pressing the sev machine. The thin strands of dough will ooze out.
7. As you start dropping the strands, slowly move the machine in a circular motion to complete a full circle in the pan and then just pull the handle of the machine upwards. This will prevent the dough oozing out further.
8. Fry the sev on both sides till done. Remove from fire just as it starts turning light brown. Drain on a paper towel.
9. After it cools down, crush it to small pieces. Your sev is ready to be used.
10. Store it in an air-tight container. Sev remains crisp for 3-4 weeks if stored properly.

Enjoy your sev just as it is as a tea-time snack  or you may also use this sev for making Kerala Mixture, Sev Puri, Bhelpuri etc.

Footnotes:

While kneading making sure not to make the dough too sticky as the sev after frying tends to lose its crispness quickly.
Avoid dropping too much strands at once, as the strands might stick to each other and you will end up with a unpleasant looking sev.