Jawein or Namkeen sewai is a famous appetizer or full meal for Indians. It hardly takes any efforts and is good for health during cough-cold-fever. Since it is light on tummy and you could make it as rich as you wish by adding dry-fruits ,ghee etc. It could be served as a snack too with tea or coffee. Since sewai is made of wheat flour and semolina(sooji) , hence they contain a good amount of fiber too. I usually use home-made sewai which are made during shravan(hindu month) because the temperature and moisture is just right for them.

I remember my mom kneading the dough for sewai and then make sewai out of it just through hands during monsoon.But, now-a-days store bought vermicelli has replaced that old tradition. 😛 I found, the vermicelli sewai just good enough for making these namkeen jawein/upma . However, nothing can beat the home-plucked sewaiyan.

INGREDIENTS:
1. Roasted Vermicelli – 1 cup
2. Oil – 2 tbsp
3. Carom seeds(ajwain)- ¹⁄₄ tsp
4. Salt to taste – 1 tsp
5. Asafoetida(hing) – a pinch
6. Finely chopped onions – ¹⁄₂ cup
7. Potatoes sliced thinly – ¹⁄₂ cup
8. Green peas – ¹⁄₄ cup
9. Carrots finely shredded – 1
10. Tomatoes finely chopped – ¹⁄₄ cup(tomatoes)
11. Cauliflower – 5-6 florets
12. Turmeric (Haldi)- ¹⁄₄ tsp
13. Coriander powder( dhania powder)- ¹⁄₂ tsp
14. Curry powder(garam masala) – ¹⁄₄ tsp
15. Frozen corn – 2 tbsp
16. Green chillies – 2
17. Cilantro (chopped dhaniya) – for garnishing
18. Water – 2 cups
19. Finely grated ginger – 2 tsp (optional)

SKIP the Sewai Plucking to jump on the recipe below it(if you have Vermicelli/Bambino Sewai)
** For Plucking sewai at HOME:**
1. Add 1 cup all-purpose flour (maida),1 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp sooji in a paraat( shallow bowl).
2. Add ¹⁄₂ water little by little and slowly knead a soft dough like for the chapatis and cover it for 10 mins.
3. Now take a Thali( a big platter /tray) for spreading the plucked sewai and some dry flour in a bowl. Uncover the dough and pluck a small ball out of it.
4. Now roll it between your fingers to a thin cylinder. With one hand, roll the cylinder and use the other to pluck sewai out of it. The thinner and small( usually 1.5″ in length) the better. Spread them on the paper or in the thali.
5. Let them dry for 2-3 days in house at room temperature. The dough is usually very soft and sticky. Hence in between rub your forefinger and thumb in the dry flour to enable easy plucking.
6. Once they have dried completely you may dry roast them in a non-stick pan or wok and store them in air-tight containers on cooling.

METHOD:
| Preparation time : 20 -25 mins | Cooking time : 20 mins | Serves 3-4 persons at a time|

1. Heat a wok(heavy based) and add oil in it.

2. Now add the ajwain hing and ginger in it.
   

3. Next when they sizzle , add onions,potatoes,carrots.peas and cauliflower to it. Also put in salt to fasten cooking.In the traditional recipe we used to skip tomatoes, but for today I have added them.
   

4. When they are partially cooked, then add 2 cups water in them and bring it to a boil on high.

5. Now add the roasted vermicelli or sewai to it and give it a stir. For dry roasting them, just toss them in a wok(kadhai) for 3-4 mins till they change color and release aroma. Or you may add 1 tbsp of cooking oil and roast them in it and then drain the oil with a slotted spoon before taking them out in a plate.

6. Partially cover the wok, to allow some steam to escape on medium heat after adding Sewai. It will take 15-20 mins to cook them with vegetables.

7. When the water is all absorbed and evaporated ,turn off the heat and cover the wok with a lid to let them cooked by latent heat absorbed for 10-15 mins. This heat helps to soften any uncooked left out vermicelli.
   

8. Serve them hot with yogurt or Chutney or tomato ketchup and enjoy them as a whole meal or as a kid-friendly breakfast option.

This dish is commonly served as a breakfast in U.P. homes in India. The aroma of cooked vermicelli is enough to trigger your starving mice in stomach. 😀 . You may also add some dry-fruits like dry- roasted pistachios, cashew-nuts, raisins to garnish your vermicelli upma in the end.

Hope you all enjoy reading this post, till then happy cooking.