Semiya Upma, made of fine vermicelli of Id

"Sevaiiyan" on Id is traditionally sweet. But semiya upma is  as great !

Semiya Upma

Vermicelli in English is “semiya” in South India, and “sevaiyyan” in the North. And when Rozas end and Id is celebrated, the feast has to have one definite dish: sevaiyyan, . The unbelievably fine sevaiyan, made of refined flour or maida, come in  two shapes: like the  beautifully looped  bundles of wool, or in sharp straight lines. They also come in two or three shades, depending on whether they are plain vermicelli, roasted or friend.

Sevaiyyan on Id, outside Jama Masjid, Delhi

The Jama Masjid area in Delhi is the place to be in, on Id. And it is the place from where to buy semiya, whether you are breaking Roza fasts , or going there just to participate in the festivities.

Sevaiyyan on Id, outside Jama Masjid, Delhi

The Meena Bazar area around the historic mosque has an array of interesting shops. 

The ware includes everything from blingy clothes, primarily salwar-kameez sets, fakes of branded sneakers and other footwear, and the very interesting , embossed and engraved kitchenware in aluminum.

And there were lots of belts,bangles,framed pictures, toys, kerchiefs...you name it and there was someone selling it!

Sevaiyyan on Id, outside Jama Masjid, Delhi

But being Id, the sight that vanquished everything else was.....you guessed it semiya/vermicelli/sevaiiyan! There were not mountains of them, there were ranges of mountains of vermicelli!

I went, bought  two varieties of sevaiyyan.. I did make the kheer, I also made a no-milk sweet dish out of the semiya. But the best dish was the Semiya Upma. It took less than five minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients for this dish, for two people, are:

Sevaiyan – 150 gms

Vegetable oil-1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Water—One and a half glasses

Onion chopped-1 medium

Green chillies chopped-3

Ginger, chopped- a little bit

Curry leaves- a few

Mustard seeds-1 teaspoon

Urad dal-1 teaspoon

Step by step --the making of semiya upma

Method:

Heat a frying pan. Add the oil. When it gets hot, add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the urad dal, and stir. When the dal grains turn golden, add the chopped onions,green chillies, giner and curry leaves. Saute for a minute. Add the water, and when it comes to boil, add the salt. Now add the semiya and stir well, reduce the flame of the gas burner, and  place a lid on the frying pan.

 Two minutes later, switch off the gas . The “semiya upma” is ready !

It tastes perfect with no side dish. But if you want, help yourself to any chutney or pickle, or yoghurt.

If you have the time and the fancy, garnish with fried cashew nuts and chopped coriander. I prefer the no-frills version.

Photographs by Pramod Pushkarna