Khare Semiya/Savory Vermicelli

Ramadan Kareem to all the yum people visiting my blog. I know I am late in wishing you all….the good reason behind my disappearance was......I went to attend my BIL’s wedding. I love weddings and functions related to weddings as there are the perfect time to catch up with the whole family. Full family eating together, enjoy working together, cooking nonstop, getting ready, shopping, attending relatives, mehendi, haldi, jewerely, clothes, matching shoes, eating tons of sweets and above all Biryani. I have told you before, I am huge fan of wedding Biryani….According to me the best Biryani is always served at weddings….nothing can beat it up…..let me stop here and dig into today’s post.

From the name you might have known, it’s a (khare) savory recipe with semiya which is prepared more often during this holy month of Ramadan. A simple and filling recipe which is prepared for Iftar’s and even on Eid too. The semiya used in this recipe is very fine and mostly available during Ramadan near almost every mosque. You can call these semiya as super fine Indian Pasta…as the procedure in making them is almost same as making pasta.These semiya are very fragile and takes few minutes to cook. You can get roasted or non-roasted variety of semiya. You can easily roast the semiya at home. The aroma that fills the kitchen when roasting these semiya is heavenly. Try this delectable savory version of semiya for your Iftar parties….

 INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup roasted Semiya
• 1 Onion, sliced
• 1 Tomato, chopped (Optional)
• 1 Green Chili, chopped
• 1 Clove + 1 1’ inch piece of Cinnamon + 1 Cardamom *
• ½ tbsp. Red chili powder
• ¼ tbsp. Turmeric powder
• ¼ tbsp. Ginger- Garlic paste
• 1 tbsp. minced Coriander leaves
• Salt
• Water
• Oil

PREPARATION:

• Add oil to heavy bottom cooking vessel and to this add clove, cinnamon and cardamom. When these spices start to leave there aroma in oil then add sliced onions and fry till translucent.
• If using, now add chopped tomatoes and green chili. Fry till tomatoes turn soft. Now ginger-garlic paste and fry till raw smell disappears.
• Now add red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt. Give the mixture a quick stir and add water (nearly ¼-½ cup). When the water starts to boil, check for salt and then add semiya by continuously stirring. Cook on low flame, till semiya gets completely cooked. (It will take nearly 3-5 minutes depending on the quantity of semiya you use.)
• Serve hot by garnishing with fresh minced coriander leaves and lemon wedges. 
• Last but not least add your 'love' to make the dish 'YUMMY'.

Linking this recipe to my very own event Joy From Fasting ToFeasting – V. You can check more on the event by clicking on the logo below.

NOTES:

* You can substitute whole spices with ¼ tbsp. of Garam Masala.

• My mom adds cooked minced mutton to this semiya and she even uses the mutton stock instead of water. This gives the semiya an extra taste of flavor.
• My mom sometimes adds fried chicken or mutton bite size pieces to this semiya while making to give an extra protein punch to the recipe.

ROASTING THE SEMIYA:

Add oil/ghee to a heavy bottom cooking vessel and break the semiya into 2-3’ inch pieces and using spatula turn the semiya up and down to get completely roasted on low flame. You can even roast the semiya without oil/ghee.

SHOPPING FOR SEMIYA IN BANGALORE:

You can get huge variety of roasted and non-roasted semiya all through the year in the following stores:

• M.K. Retail (all branches)
• R.K. Retail
• Big Bazaar (all branches)
• More (all branches)
• Spencers (all branches)