Savoury Indian Vermicelli With Peas or Other Vegetables
Namkeen Sevian Matar ya Sabziyaan ke Saath
A popular dish for breakfast in Northern India. It can also be served as a light lunch or snack, or as a side dish in a party. Other vegetables like diced carrots and potatoes can also be used instead of or along with potatoes.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup Indian vermicelli or senvian, or Italian vermicelli that are in 1-2 inch pieces
- 1-2 green chillies chopped
- 1/2 inch piece of ginger chopped (optional)
- A handful of green peas if in season or frozen peas*
- 1-2 tbsp. fried onions, optional (ready fried onions can be bought from Indian stores)
- Salt to taste (approximately 1tsp)
- Red chillies to taste or 1/2 tsp (optional)
- 2 cups water
- For tempering:
- 1 tbsp. cooking oil
- 1 tsp. mustard seeds (rai)
- 6-7 curry leaves (not bay leaves)
- Alternative tempering:
- 1 tbsp. cooking oil
- 1 tsp. carom or ajwain seeds
- A pinch of asafoetida or hing
Instructions
- Heat oil in a wok and fry vermicelli until nicely browned. Try to do this on medium heat, even if this takes a little while longer. Burnt vermicelli taste bitter! Keep aside.
- Peel, wash and chop ginger.
- Chop chillies.
- Boil water.
- Heat oil in the frying pan or Karahi.
- Add mustard seed and cover until spluttering finishes, otherwise seeds will go every where!
- Add ginger, green chillies, curry leaves and fry for 10-15 seconds
- Add onions and fry until light-medium brown.
- Add other vegetables used and fry for another 5 minutes or so.
- Add vermicelli and fry to mix well, about 5 minutes. Add water (boiled water is better but not essential), salt and red chilli powder. Bring to boil.
- Simmer until all water is absorbed.
- Continue stirring for a bit longer until the oil separates or the vermicelli look shiny.
- Serve with Mango Hot Pickle, Gupta Family Style, or some other pickle. Mango Pickle with Asafoetida - Hot! goes really well with it.
Notes
- *Experiment with other vegetables like diced carrot cubes, tiny cauliflower florets, finely diced potatoes, edamame beans etc.. Cut large vegetables into small pieces and parboil lightly.
- You can also add 1-2 small chopped tomatoes. Add to fried onions. Continue frying only until tomatoes are softened. Add towards the end of cooking, otherwise onions loose their 'fried' flavour.