This lemon sevai or sevaiyan is a versatile dish that doubles up as both breakfast and lunch. It comes together in 15 minutes and is a great school lunch option.
Set water to boil. Once finished, turn off the heat.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a non-stick kadhai/wok on medium heat. When the oil gets hot, add mustard seeds.
Once the mustard seeds start to sputter, add curry leaves, urad dal, skinned peanuts, green chilies, and cashews (if using).
Let fry for about a minute till the peanuts become crunchy.
Add veggies, such as peas and carrots, if using. Mix well.
Add roasted vermicelli (sev), turmeric powder, salt, sugar and sauté for a minute.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the boiling water.
Cover the wok/kadhai with a lid till the water is almost absorbed (8-10 minutes). (Do a quick check around 4 minutes to make sure the vermicelli is not sticking to the side of the pans. If it is, give it a quick stir).
Add the lemon juice and blend into the vermicelli evenly. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve immediately.
Notes
You can buy either the roasted or the unroasted one to make this dish. If you can’t find this particular brand in your local Indian store substitute it with rice vermicelli from a South Asian store.
I used roasted vermicelli for this recipe. If you can't find roasted vermicelli where you live, heat teaspoon of ghee or oil in a pan on medium heat and roast the vermicelli till they change color (almost light brown).
If you are using rice noodles, follow the instructions on the packet on how to cook it. Rice noodles are often soaked in hot water and NOT cooked in it, so be mindful of that.
This recipe can easily be doubled. Make sure to follow the 2:1 ratio i.e. 2 cups of water for every cup of vermicelli.
Variations -
Lemon Vermicelli is a great lunch option as well. Throw in some veggies such as carrots, peas, etc. right before you add boiled water and you are all set.
You can substitute skinned peanuts with roasted peanuts but I prefer skinned peanuts because it offers a myriad of health benefits.
For a nut-free version - skip the peanuts and cashews, and use olive oil or sesame oil instead.
Garnish with a tablespoon of freshly grated coconut to amp up the flavor.