Indian Noodles

Indian noodles comprise the variety of noodles that are traditionally prepared and consumed in India. Although the dish is not considered to be as important as rice or rotis (the unleavened Indian bread) which are staples, the noodle based dishes are eaten by a wide section of Indians, usually as a snack item.  Food historians have discovered the presence of four different kinds of noodles consumed in different parts of India made from wheat, rice, cornstarch and chickpeas.

Seviyan or fine wheat based noodles are usually used in the preapration of desserts during various festive occasions including Ramadan. It is also fried and then mixed with a variety of vegetables to prepare upma, a South Indian dish. The Sev is a snack made from chickpea noodles while the rice noodles are considered to be a form of breakfast food in the Southern regions of India. These preparations, however, bear little resemblance to the Chinese or Italian noodle dishes and are believed to be indigenous to India

Origin of Indian Noodles Recipe

The thin vermicelli like noodles have been referred to as sevika in old Indian scriptures written in Sanskrit. 

Ingredients and Preparation Overview of Indian Noodles Recipe

Seviyan are prepared by rolling out the wheat dough into thin, long strips which are cut into small pieces and then dried in the sun. The noodles are generally cooked in milk and sugar or boiled in water and consumed in accompaniment to clarified butter and sugar. The dessert item is considered to be a traditional Eid-Ul-Fitr sweet dish.

Types of Indian Noodles

There are three distinct types of noodles consumed by the Indians apart from the seviyan. The different noodles are:-

• Sev- Prepared from the chickpea flour which is mixed with salt and various spices to create the dough. The dough is pressed through a sieve like contraption and the noodles, thus formed, dropped directly into hot oil where it is fried until crisp.
   
• Idiyappam -  This is a special kind of rice noodles fashioned into thin noodles or string hoppers by means of a special contraption. The dough is mixed with clarified butter, salt and grated coconut before being steamed. It is a common breakfast food in parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and coastal Karnataka regions of India.
   
• Falooda Noodle- A unique noodle made from cornflour mixed with water. This type of noodle is usually served with the traditional dessert known as falooda, hence the name. It is glassy in appearance and is also used as a garnish with kulfi, the Indian ice-cream.

Trivia

Indian noodles in the form of spicy snacks are marketed under the brand name of Haldiram Foods, all over India.