Meethi Sev/Sweet Vermicelli

mayurisjikoni

13 years ago

EVENT: FOODIES_ REDOING OLD POSTS #34

RECIPE: MEETHI SEV/SWEET VERMICELLI

What is Meethi Sev/Sweet Vermicelli ?

As the name indicates meethi sev/sweet vermicelli is vermicelli that is sweet. This is one of the easiest ever sweet dish or mithai (mishtaan) to prepare. Boil some vermicelli as per the instructions on the packet. Drain out the water. Mix powdered sugar and ghee (clarified butter) and hey presto its ready. One can add cardamom powder, chopped nuts for that extra flavour.

What is Vermicelli?

Vermicelli is a type of pasta which is much thinner than spaghetti. The word vermicelli comes from the Italian word for little worms. And worms are not used to make vermicelli. Incidentally, these days vermicelli also refers to the thin rice noodles that is commonly found in South East Asian Cuisine. By the way, vermicelli is widely used in many countries for either sweet or savoury preparations. In the Indian Sub Continent it is known as sevai, seviyan and is made from refined flour or rice flour. The one we get in Kenya is usually made from wheat flour.

Mum’s Meethi Sev/ Sweet Vermicelli

As I mentioned before, I grew up in a joint family. My mum would make something sweet to go with our Gujarati meal on Saturdays as that’s the day my dad would get time to relax a bit and enjoy his meal. No rushing back to the shop on Saturdays as my cousins and uncle took care of them. On her list to prepare sweet dish would be:

Lapsi
Sev with milk – sev kheer/seviyan
Shrikhand
Aamras (during mango season)
Meethi Sev
Shiro
or sometimes simply Ghee Kera

Other sweet dishes or mishtaan like doodh pak, basundi, ladwa, puran poli, magas, mohanthal, boondi ladwa, would be reserved for special occasions like Diwali or birthdays. As a matter of fact, my mum handled the kitchen and all the cooking by herself till my uncle got married. I would help her whenever possible. Making meals on her own meant that she had to look for some easy recipes like meethi sev.

Memories – Satisfying my craving by making Meethi Sev/Sweet Vermicelli

While waiting for hubby dear to get back home for lunch, I suddenly had a craving for something sweet – Indian sweet or mishtaan to be more specific. I think what they say about letting oneself get so hungry that you start craving for sugar is so true. Hubby was stuck with some patients. Repeatedly, kept thinking of some Indian sweet. Suddenly the sugar starved brain flashed, blinked, sweet sev, meethi sev, sweet sev. Immediately rushed to the kitchen, got the ingredients together and began making meethi sev. Rachel, my maid who was quietly and gingerly working on utensils, suddenly felt as though a tornado had hit her and not Oklahama. She decided to quickly leave the kitchen to tackle some other work leaving me to my antics.

Meethi Sev was ready in five minutes and hubby walked in! Otherwise, meethi sev would have been my main meal!

Ingredients required for Meethi Sev/Sweet Vermicelli

Vermicelli – thin and not the pre roasted one.
Water – for boiling the vermicelli
Powdered Sugar – can use icing sugar or confectioners sugar. Or simply grind sugar at home.
Ghee – clarified butter. To add a little to the boiling water and to add to the cooked vermicelli
Cardamom Powder – add according to your taste
Nuts – coarsely chop nuts of your choice or cut into slivers.

Dietary Tips:

I once tried rice vermicelli and the meethi sev didn’t taste like what the family is use to.
I have no idea how it would taste with coconut oil if replaced for a vegan version. If you do try it with coconut oil let me know.
Suitable for vegetarian

THE GROUP FOODIES _ REDOING OLD POSTS

Updated on 11/09/2020

Meethi Sev/Sweet Vermicelli is one of my favorite mishtaan, probably because its not only an easy recipe but also reminds me of my mum. The first time I made this dish for the blog, the photos were horrendous! As I prepared a Gujarati Thali for the blog, it gave me the opportunity to retake better photos.

The group Foodies _ Redoing Old Posts, allows me to redo my old post, of which I have a large number. Breathing new life into them with new photos and better write up is what I like. Its a bi monthly group, where members redo old posts and share on Facebook. That way we are able to get some bloggers’ love towards our forgotten posts. The idea of redoing old posts as a group was Renu’s idea. Renu blogs at Cook With Renu.

Some Vermicelli Recipes:

For a different style of sweet vermicelli you may want to check out Mina’s Sweet Vermicelli with Jaggery recipe (Gor Vari Sev).
Renu adds vermicelli to her instant Semolina and Vermicelli Idli
Jolly makes Meethi Sev by adding sugar syrup.