Shevai ~ Rice string hoppers

If I had to pick only one breakfast item that I love the most..I would  easily pick Shevai ! I can never get tired of eating this. Even though the process of making this is time consuming the end result is always worth the hard work! This dish includes fair amount of planning and demands patience.. I lack patience in lot of things but cooking is totally another game.. I have tremendous patience when I cook! I wonder how?
Shevai would make appearance regularly at our breakfast plates. It was actually a two day process in my house hold to make it easy! Amma would soak the rice the previous day. Late at night just before hitting the bed she would grind it with freshly grated coconut,cook the batter to form a stiff dough and then cover it with wet cloth. This would breakdown the process and make it easy for the next day. Next day morning, balls would be made out of the dough and steamed in a steamer until done. The hot balls of the dough would then be pressed using a traditional press. Me and my brother would patiently wait for these to be done and enjoy our sunday breakfast with a generous helping of coconut oil and some spicy mango pickle! Traditionally this is eaten with  grated jaggery in coconut milk and mildly scented with cardamom powder. But I always preferred to eat it with oil and pickle or some nice spicy potato song or bibbe humman (fresh cashews cooked in spicy coconut masala with aroma of hing and coconut oil).
Both the boys in the house share the same feelings towards these white beauties which is why they are now a regular fare at our place. We can never get enough of them. If you have a helping hand with the press then you are all sorted!

Here is what's needed:
4 cups of dosa rice
1.5 cups of grated coconut
salt to taste
water to grind

Procedure:
1) Soak rice for a minimum of 5-6 hours. Grind it with grated coconut and water to a smooth batter. It should be of free flowing consistency. Add salt to taste.
2) Pour the batter in a thick bottomed vessel and cook it until the batter forms in to a nice non sticky dough. It should be of the chapathi dough consistency.
3) You can do two things here you can steam this dough right away or cover it with wet cloth until you are ready to steam. [I normally cook the dough late at night and then next day morning steam it. This is to simplify my work the next morning].
4) Make balls out of this dough and steam it in the steamer for approximately 25 mins.
5) Grease the press and its mold with oil to ensure the smooth working of the press.
6) Press the steamed balls in the traditional press and transfer the noodles on to moist cloth to prevent it from drying it out. Repeat the same with the remaining dough balls.
Enjoy fresh rice noodles with the sides of your choice. If you are a non vegetarian this goes really well with nice egg curry or chicken curry! Will definitely include step by step pictures when I make it the next time. Le me know if you try this!

Instant Shevai ~ Instant Rice noodles

Shevai or rice noodles is one of the most common breakfast in GSB household.

It seems in earlier days when guests used to stay longer than hosts expected to shevai was prepared. Since shevai is made by pressing into the the maker and pushing it out guests were also given a hint that it was time for them to push themselves out. We still laugh on this when we make shevai at home.

Normally shevai is made by soaking rice and then grinding it along with freshly grated coconut. The mixture is then stirred continuously on medium flame until it turns into solid mass until it is non sticky. I will share the traditional recipe next time. Here is an instant version of Shevai that my sister-in-law's mom shared with us. She is an excellent cook who loves to try a variety of dishes and always has something new to share. This version of shevai does not call for soaking rice or grated coconut.

Here is what's needed:

2 measure Rice Rava (Readily available in stores also known as idli rava)

21/2 measure water(Ratio of 1:11/4 - rice rava:water)

salt to taste

Procedure:

1) Mix all the ingredients in a thick bottomed kadhai or vessel. Keep on medium flame and keep stirring continuously it thickens. To check if it is done dip your finger into cool water and touch the mixture. If it does not stick to your hand then it is ready. Switch off.

2) When hot make balls of the size of an orange and steam it. Once done fork inserted should come out clean.

3) Add 1 or 2 balls (as per the capacity of your shevai press) and press onto a clean plate. Transfer to a bigger tray lined with wet clean muslin cloth. This is to prevent the shevai from drying up. Repeat until all the balls are used up.

Serving suggestions:

1) Shevai can be served with pickle and coconut oil. (I used tender jackfruit pickle in the picture above and coconut oil).

2) Kids love powdered shevai ( slightly crush using your hands) with ghee and sugar.

3) It can also be served with daLithoy.

4) Goes well with Potato song or any spicy side dish.

5) Upma can be made with leftover shevai.