Diwali is right round the corner!! And that means lights, new dresses, new decor for the house, everything new!! Not to forget - savoury snacks, sweets, which keep disappearing the moment they hit the storage jars :)
We start off with a pretty simple savoury snack, called Omapodi, a thick variety of sev, that can be had on its own or crushed and used for the South Indian mixture as well. The name comes from Omam, which means Ajwain or Carom seeds; in the olden days the ajwain was manually ground in the Roller stone, Silbatta (Hindi) or Ammi (in Tamil). But to make it easier now, one can use the ready made Ajwain water available in the market, or simply prepare at home by boiling some carom seeds in water and letting it cool down to room temperature before use.
Ingredients :
Bengal gram flour (Besan) - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Chili powder (optional) - 1 tsp
Ajwain water - enough for kneading the dough
Clarified butter (Ghee) or unsalted butter - 2 tbsps
Method :
1. Sift together besan, rice flour and salt so as to remove lumps.
2. Add chili powder and knead into a smooth but stiff dough using sufficient ajwain water and ghee or butter.
3. Prepare the Sev press by fitting in the pin-hole plate. We use the traditional press made of brass, which has inter-changeable plates for different savouries. It's also available in stainless steel, as also with brands such as Anjali.
4. Divide the dough into equal portions that will fit into your sev/savoury press instrument. Meanwhile heat oil for frying in a wide kadhai or wok.
5. Reduce the flame to low and slowly press the dough through the instrument and into the oil, into desired shapes. Try to to make connected swirls, much like Jalebi or smaller ones, depending on the size of your wok. Increase the flame to medium heat and let fry till light golden. Remove and drain excess oil.
6. Once cooled down to room temperature, store in an air-tight container.
We start off with a pretty simple savoury snack, called Omapodi, a thick variety of sev, that can be had on its own or crushed and used for the South Indian mixture as well. The name comes from Omam, which means Ajwain or Carom seeds; in the olden days the ajwain was manually ground in the Roller stone, Silbatta (Hindi) or Ammi (in Tamil). But to make it easier now, one can use the ready made Ajwain water available in the market, or simply prepare at home by boiling some carom seeds in water and letting it cool down to room temperature before use.
OMAPODI / THICK SEV
Ingredients :
Bengal gram flour (Besan) - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Chili powder (optional) - 1 tsp
Ajwain water - enough for kneading the dough
Clarified butter (Ghee) or unsalted butter - 2 tbsps
Method :
1. Sift together besan, rice flour and salt so as to remove lumps.
2. Add chili powder and knead into a smooth but stiff dough using sufficient ajwain water and ghee or butter.
3. Prepare the Sev press by fitting in the pin-hole plate. We use the traditional press made of brass, which has inter-changeable plates for different savouries. It's also available in stainless steel, as also with brands such as Anjali.
4. Divide the dough into equal portions that will fit into your sev/savoury press instrument. Meanwhile heat oil for frying in a wide kadhai or wok.
5. Reduce the flame to low and slowly press the dough through the instrument and into the oil, into desired shapes. Try to to make connected swirls, much like Jalebi or smaller ones, depending on the size of your wok. Increase the flame to medium heat and let fry till light golden. Remove and drain excess oil.
6. Once cooled down to room temperature, store in an air-tight container.
i love your presentation...that overflowing sev looks amazing..
ReplyDeleteThank you Habeeba :)
DeleteLoved the recipe as well as the clicks Krithika
ReplyDeleteThanks very much Alka :)
DeleteLoved the recipe..very excited to try it !!
ReplyDelete