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Name some of the most favourite Indian street foods and you’ll realize they aren’t complete without a garnish of crispy besan sev. Be it Raj Kachori, Dabeli, Bhel Puri or Dahi Vada, the much-needed flavour and texture are packed in the dish by crispy and delicious freckles of sev. Even if we become region-specific, some of the most popular dishes of most regional cuisines of India are incomplete without a topping of crunchy sev. Be it the Maharashtrian Dabeli, the Bengali Jhal Muri or the Odia Dahibara Aloodum, these classic regional culinary marvels are revamped to another level with a sprinkle of sev on the top.
My first encounter with making sev at home began with the onset of the COVID pandemic. Eating street food was a big “No” and my attempts at making some of my favourite street foods perfectly wouldn’t have been possible without a generous sprinkle of sev. After watching about five YouTube videos, I decided to make sev at home. However, my bubble of making sev at home busted with the realization that I don’t have a chakli press. But my mom told me that I could still make sev at home. So, here are some hacks that will help you make perfectly crunchy sev at home.
1. The secret to perfectly crunchy sev at home is the addition of rice flour to the batter. Adding a tablespoon or two of rice flour to the dough will enhance the texture and flavour of sev.
2. Add a pinch of asafoetida to the dough to pack flavours.
3. In case you don’t have a chakli press at home, you can use a porous flat ladle or cheese grater to pour the batter into the hot oil.
4. Grease the ladle with some oil before grating the dough.
5. Storage is one of the most important factors influencing the crispiness and crunch of sev. Cool the sev down before storing them in an airtight container to retain the crunch.
