Raj kachori, aloo chaat, sev puri, dabeli chaat – what do all these Indian street foods/snacks have in common? Of course, it is the crunchy topping of sev. Different regions of our country may provide different kinds of snacks or different versions of the same snack, but they all are not complete without the sprinkling of the same old sev namkeen. The bright yellow-coloured sev decorate these dishes along with adding a delectable crunch. Sev is crispy, fine bhujiya-like strands – usually made of gram flour or chickpea flour (besan) — which are flavoured with salt and coloured with turmeric powder.

Talking about sev, chef Sadaf Hussain, says, “The name ‘sev’ comes from ‘siv’ (thread) referring to sewing. It is a popular munching snack in India. You can get the fine, unseasoned variety or the thick, flavoured ones.”

While you can easily get sev in the market, there are some people who like to make it fresh at their homes. If you also want to try making it at home, we will help you. Sev is best made with the help of sev press or chakli press, but if you don’t have it at home, we’ll give you an alternative (you can say, jugaad) method to do the trick! Yes, you can make sev at home without any special equipment. You just need the porous ladle that you use for frying or a regular flat grater. Another thing you need to remember is that sev tastes best when fried in mustard oil, so make sure you have it at home.

(Also Read: How To Make Authentic Gujarati Sev Ki Sabzi Or Gathiya Nu Shaak)

^{Sev is used in various Indian street foods and snacks.} 

How To Make Sev At Home –

Ingredients –
1 cup besan
1 tbsp rice flour (for crispiness)
2 tbsp oil
A pinch of turmeric powder
A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
A pinch of baking soda
Salt to taste
Mustard oil for frying

Method –
Step 1 – Knead soft dough with all the ingredients – besan, rice flour, oil, salt, hing, baking soda and turmeric.
Step 2 – Heat oil for frying. Now, either take a porous flat ladle for frying or flat cheese grater. Grease it with some oil and grate the dough on it, placing it directly over boiling oil. You should have thin strands of the dough falling in the pan of boiling oil.
Step 3 – When the upper layer of the oil is visibly covered with sev, keep the dough aside and fry those sev first. Repeat the frying process with the rest of the dough.

You’ll get your favourite crispy homemade sev. Since they are fried, they have a long shelf life and can be stored in an air-tight jar for up to a month.