Thin ‘n’ Crisp Chickpea Flour Noodles
MASALA SEV
-Recipe from Yamuna mataji
Sev rivals peanuts as India’s most popular munching snack. Anywhere
people gather, a sev vendor is sure to appear with an assortment of
freshly made fried noodles. Some noodles are spicy and spaghetti-thick,
while others are very fine and unseasoned.
Sev noodles are shaped with a sevaya machine, a unique brass utensil
equipped with an assortment of interchangeable disks. A fine-holed disk
is attached to the container and filled with dough, which is then
pressed into hot oil where it fries into crisp crunchy noodles. This
utensil has two sev disks –thick and thin –with additional disks for
several other fried snacks. It is available at most Indian grocery
stores. You can use a potato ricer as a substitute.
Preparation and frying time: 25 minutes
Serves: 10-12
2 ¼ cups (230 g) sifted chickpea flour
(Sifted before measuring)
½ tablespoon (7 ml) salt
½ teaspoon (2 ml) cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon (2 ml) turmeric
1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
½ tablespoon (7 ml) lemon juice
¾ cup (180 ml) water
ghee or vegetable oil for deep-frying
1.
Blend the chickpea flour, salt, cayenne and turmeric in a mixing
bowl. Add the oil lemon juice to the water and pour into the flour. Mix
into a thick paste, adding additional flour as necessary so that the
mixture is not sticky. It should resemble the texture of mashed
potatoes. Divide into three portions, then fill the sevaya machine with
one portion, or place that amount in a potato ricer.
heat ghee or
oil to a depth of 2 ½ inches (6.5 cm) in a karai or deep-frying pan
over moderate heat until it reaches 345 F (175 C). Holding the utensil
over the hot oil, force the mixture through the holes by turning the
handle. As the noodles fall, slowly move the machine around in a
circular motion so that they do not clump together. Fry for 1 ½ minutes
per side or until crisp and lightly browned. Remove with a slotted
spoon and drain on paper towels. Fry the remaining paste in the same
way. Cool to room temperature, then break into uniform pieces. They can
be kept in airtight containers for 2 weeks. To reheat, place in a 250 F
(120 C) oven for 8 minutes.