This spicy Sev Recipe is made from gram flour (besan) and hence also known as Besan Sev or Karasev. These sev have a crispy texture and are a quick, savory snack prepared during the Diwali Festival.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Snacks
  • Cuisine: Indian, South Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup gram flour ((besan))
  • ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ½ teaspoon red chili powder
  • 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing))
  • ¼ teaspoon carom seeds ((ajwain))
  • ½ teaspoon salt (or add as required)
  • 1 pinch baking soda (- optional)
  • 2 tablespoons hot oil (- to be added in the dough)
  • 2 tablespoons water (- to be added in the dough or add as required)
  • 2 cups oil (for deep frying or add as required)

Method

Making dough

  1. Measure and keep all the ingredients. Sieve the gram flour and set aside.
  2. Add the sifted besan in a mixing bowl or pan. Add all the spices like - teaspoon turmeric powder, red chili powder, carom seeds, asafoetida. Also add salt as required. If you are using baking soda then add it now.
  3. Mix everything very well. Make a small depression in the center of the flour. Set aside.
  4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a small pan.
  5. Now pour the hot oil in the center.
  6. Allow the oil to cool. Once the oil has become warm, then rub the oil with the flour mixture.
  7. Mix well, that the entire mixture should appear like bread crumbs.
  8. Then add 2 tablespoons water and begin to knead.
  9. The dough should be soft and smooth. If the dough becomes sticky then add some gram flour and knead again. If the dough is dry or hard, then add a few teaspoons of water.
  10. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and keep aside for 10 to 12 minutes.
  11. After 10 to 12 minutes, remove the damp cloth and knead again for a minute.

Making karasev

  1. For making the karasev, you will require the discs with slightly larger holes. Grease the chakli moulds and the discs with little oil.
  2. Place the greased disc towards the bottom of the cylindrical sev maker.
  3. Rub a bit of oil in your hands. Take a part of the dough and roll it into a log and gently place in the sev maker. Cover the sev maker with the lid.

Frying sev

  1. Heat 2 cups of oil in a pan or kadai on medium heat. The oil has to hot before you fry the sev. You can do a small test by adding a piece of dough, if it rises gradually and steadily. Then the oil is hot enough.
  2. In the moderately hot oil, directly press the sev maker to make sev. Move in a circular motion so that sev is equally distributed.
  3. The oil will sizzle as soon as it comes in contact with the sev.
  4. Once the base has turned golden and become crisp, then gently turn over and fry the other side.
  5. Fry until the color changes to golden and the besan sev becomes crisp and the oil stops sizzling.
  6. With a slotted spoon remove the fried besan sev from the oil.
  7. Place the fried sev on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
  8. Repeat the same with leftover dough. Once they come to room temperature, then break the besan sev. Store into an air-tight container. The sev should last for about a month.
  9. Serve the karasev as a diwali savory snack or tea time snack.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.