Vermicelli curry / Shavige Bhath

My migration from Central India ( Bombay) to South India ( Bangalore) in the year 1992 meant that my tummy had to now get adjusted from Rotis and Naans to Rice and Bhaths. From Samosas to Dosas and From Poori Aloo to Idli Vadas and so on and so forth.

Bangalore in those years was a real lazy town. If you walked into the Malleshwaram market between 2 to 5 pm, everything was shut for the afternoon siesta. One could drive his car on the main streets after 7 pm as a Formula Driver and after 9 was almost impossible to find anything open. In contrast to what it is today ( 2011), those were lovely years of Bangalore. One would walk the streets in the morning and the roads were covered by the little petals dropped from the green trees and having a car was still a novelty. Now everyone owns a car like a donkey and rides it to the office . The car moves exactly like a donkey , one step at a time and yet everyone rides his way to work.

The wide assortment of South Indian Food or Dakshin Food as widely known is highly exotic. The interesting thing about South Indian Food is that the same food changes flavors from region to region . A Dosa cooked in Karnataka is quite different from Mangalore to Andhra to TN and Kerela. To me personally , it was always the Mangalorean food , which topped the cooking from South. Perhaps, because of having lived in Bombay, I had got used to the Shetty restaurants all across Bombay. However, when it came to spicy food. It was always Andhra. No one in India cooks as spicy as the Andharites. No wonder, the Andrahrites have the Hottest Babes as seen in the cinema.

One such lovely South Indian Dish which is a close cousin of Italian Spaghetti is the Shavige Bath. The Shavige Bath is made from Vermicelli, which got its name from the little worms. It was first made in Italy as the thin noodle variety and was out of Wheat. Later it made its way into Iran and Turkey, where the more sweeter variety got made out of it. It then moved into India and the Indians tweaked it and made it out of Semolina. They called it Saenwiya in north and Shavige in South. It did not stop there and moved further into China and was known as Bee Hun in Hokkein and Mai Fun ( My Fun, I love Chinese ) in Cantonese though, there it got made by rice.. I have been lucky to have tried the whole spectrum from Italy to Iran to Turkey to Mai Fun .

Sharing my recipe : Sharing Is Caring

Recipe

Bee hoon/ Saviye/ thin noodles : 1/2 Packet ( Whichever variety you can find )

Peas : Hand full or say 50 gms

Tomat : One large, finely chopped

Onion : One large, finely chopped

Green Chilies : 7 split cut.

Optional : Carrots bit size cut.

Turmeric : 1/2T

Red Pepper : 1/2 T

Hing, Cumin seeds, Mustard : Pinch.

Olive Oil : 2 T

Curry Leaves : 3 to 4 No.

Water : double of the Vermicelli

Salt To Taste.

Toast the vermielli till little brown. Not to Burn.

Boil water double the volume of the vermicelli and add a pinch of salt. Allow it to boil and then swing in the Vermicelli, exactly the way sphagetti is made.

When Al Dante, drain the water and allow it to cool for a while. Ensure that it still keeps its individuality .

Meantime oil a Kadai and splutter the cumin seeds, mustard, hing and chuck in the onions and wait for brown , add tomat and carrots. Wait till the tomats are well cooked. Throw in the boiled vermicelli and add turmeric and red pepper. Garnish till color changes to light brown. Dress it with Coriander leaves.

After I posted this, all my friends protested that this is not a curry. Well it is a Dry curry had for a breakfast and snack. Huh!