Paruppu Sevai recipe is made with rice sevai/Idiyappam (Indian rice noodles) and lentils. This Sevai Upma is a healthy, delicious, and vegan snack from South Indian cuisine.
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South Indian classic
Sevai is a type of rice vermicelli. We also call it rice noodles/Idiyappam. This type of rice noodles is extensively used in South Indian cuisine.
Paruppu means lentils and sevai means rice noodles in Tamil. It's a special dish made on special occasions. It's also called Thanjavur sevai.
You can either make the noodles fresh from scratch or use the dried sevai packs (or rice sticks) like the instant ones easily available in Asian grocery stores.
Like Coconut Rice, Lemon Rice, and Tamarind Poha, sevai can also be made in these flavors. There is also a sweet version of sevai that I would love to make someday.
Although this particular paruppu sevai/Idiyappam recipe takes a while to prepare, it tastes amazing and is also very nourishing.
Our favorite snack
My mom would make different varieties of sevai at least once in two weeks. Usually, it would be a Saturday night meal and the leftovers would be devoured as Sunday breakfast.
This has been my favorite snack since childhood. I would always tell mom to make lots of it. Even today when I make it, I make sure there's lots of sevai upma for me to enjoy!
Every South Indian family may have its own recipe for preparing this Lentil & Rice Noodles/Paruppu Sevai/Idiyappam and this recipe is our way of doing it.
Why make it
- An interesting snack recipe with Idiyappam/sevai
- Is vegan
- A unique way of combining rice noodles and lentils
- Needs a few basic ingredients
- Protein-packed, healthy, and nutritious
Ingredients needed 🧾
Sevai - I use the instant sevai. You can find them in any Indian grocery store or on Amazon. You can also make Idiyappam at home. Sevai and vermicelli are not the same.
While I have not tried it yet, you can also use the thin rice noodles you get in the Asian food section at the grocery store. You can use millet sevai or brown rice sevai in this recipe.
Lentils - tur dal, and urad dal are the two kinds that we need in this Idiyappam recipe. Get them from the Indian grocery store or Amazon.
Spices and herbs - mustard seeds, asafoetida, dried red chillies, curry leaves, and cilantro are what you'll need to make this Paruppu Sevai.
Apart from these ingredients, you will need a Steamer to steam the ground lentils. I use an Idli Cooker for this, but you can use an Instant Pot or any steamer you have.
How to make it 🔪
- Rinse and then soak the tur dal in water for an hour at least.
- Meanwhile, boil the instant sevai as per the instructions on the packet. Strain and keep them aside for now. Stick to the cooking instructions else it will become soggy. Chef Tip - I prefer to spread it out onto a large tray to prevent them from sticking to one another.
- Drain the water and transfer the tur dal to a blender jar along with dried red chillies, salt, and asafoetida.
- Grind to a coarse paste by adding little water.
- Then divide them into equal portions and steam them. I use an Idli Cooker for this. I fill each mold with the mixture and then steam it for 10-12 minutes. Chef Tip - Allow the steamer to cool down completely before opening the lid.
- Demold them. Wait for them to cool down completely. You can also leave it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. Chef Tip - Then crumble each piece using your fingers. You can also quickly pulse it in the mixer grinder. Transfer to a bowl and keep it aside. This is called Usili in Tamil.
- Heat oil in a pot or pan. Temper mustard seeds. Once they begin to crackle, add urad dal. Once they begin to turn golden, add chopped curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds.
- Then add the crumbled lentil mix to the pan. Mix it well and continue to fry the steamed lentil mixture for 3-4 minutes till they break even more. Keep flame on medium.
- Now add the cooked sevai/rice noodles to the pan. Mix them all together and cook it for another 2 minutes. Add some oil if required. Check and add salt as required.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro, mix and take the pan off the flame. You can also garnish it with fresh coconut if you like.
Serving suggestions 🍽
You can enjoy a bowl of hot paruppu sevai upma as is or serve it with a side of sambhar and chutney. Some like to enjoy it with a pickle too.
These lentil and rice noodles can be had for breakfast along with filter coffee, lunch, evening snacks, or for dinner. They can also be packed in lunchboxes.
If serving as breakfast or snack, pair these Indian rice noodles with a hot cup of filter coffee, Dalgona Coffee, or Masala Chai.
Top recipe tips 💭
Instead of tur dal, you can also use urad dal, moong dal, or mix in some chana dal. Add some peanuts or cashews along with the curry leaves to give it a crunch. To check if the lentils are properly steamed, insert a toothpick and check. If it is sticky steam for a few more minutes. Do not overcook the sevai else it will become soggy. Stick to the cooking instructions and cool them completely.
Recipe FAQs 📖
Once the lentils are done, demold them only when they have cooled down completely. Leave it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. Then crumble each piece using your fingers. You can also quickly pulse it in the mixer grinder. Transfer to a bowl and keep it aside.
My mother-in-law has a hack for this. She doesn't steam the lentils. Grind the lentils without adding any water. It should be coarse. Heat double the quantity of oil mentioned in a pot or pan. Temper mustard seeds. Once they begin to crackle, add urad dal. Once they begin to turn golden, add chopped curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds. Then add the crumbled lentil mix to the pan. Roast it for10-15 minutes till it dries, separates, and becomes slightly crunchy. This is a bit tedious process and also requires more oil. Steaming reduces the oil needed and effort.
You can prepare the lentil usili in advance and store it in the fridge for 4-5 days. When you want to make this sevai upma, cook the noodles fresh and then mix them together. If you have some leftover paruppu sevai, pack it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat as needed. I have not tried freezing it though.
While I have not tried it, you can swap these rice noodles with any other pasta variety and make this sevai upma recipe. You can also use any variety of rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice here. In fact, you can even use cut green beans and make Paruppu Usili.
More Indian snack recipes
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Recipe 📖
Paruppu Sevai | Lentil Rice Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 cup tur dal
- 250 gms instant rice noodles
- 5-6 dried red chillies
- ½ teaspoon asafoetida
- salt
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon urad dal
- 4-5 curry leaves
- ⅓ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Rinse and then soak the tur dal in water for an hour at least.
- Meanwhile, boil the instant sevai as per the instructions on the packet. Strain and keep them aside for now. Stick to the cooking instructions else it will become soggy.
- I prefer to spread it out onto a large tray to prevent them from sticking to one another.
- Drain the water and transfer the tur dal to a blender jar along with dried red chillies, salt, and asafoetida.
- Grind to a coarse paste by gradually adding water.
- Then divide them into equal portions and steam them. I use an Idli Cooker for this. I fill each mold with the mixture and then steam it for 10-12 minutes.
- Allow the steamer to cool down completely before opening the lid.
- Demold them. Wait for them to cool down completely. You can also leave it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
- Then crumble each piece using your fingers. You can also quickly pulse it in the mixer grinder. Transfer to a bowl and keep it aside.
- Heat oil in a pot or pan. Temper mustard seeds. Once they begin to crackle, add urad dal. Once they begin to turn golden, add chopped curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds.
- Then add the crumbled lentil mix to the pan. Mix it well and continue to fry the steamed lentil mixture for 3-4 minutes till they break even more. Keep flame on medium.
- Now add the cooked sevai/rice noodles to the pan. Mix them all together and cook it for another 2 minutes. Add some oil if required. Check and add salt as required.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro, mix and take the pan off the flame. You can also garnish it with fresh coconut if you like.
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