Sev Usal – Green Peas
Sev Usal is such a popular delicious street food dish. Spicy and aromatic green peas cooked with spices and aromatics eaten with buttery pav/bread and topped with sev.
Perfect dish with full of flavors and textures.
I have always known Usal to be a breakfast dish, but we make it for dinners. Its one pot meal, and I love to make it during cold winter months. My first taste or knowledge about usal was because of my city where I grew up ; Baroda. It’s a famous dish in Baroda or Vadodara. Few years ago, you hardly find this dish anywhere else in Gujarat.
The origins of usal are from Maharashtrian cuisine. Usal is a very common preparation in Maharashtrian homes. They prepare usal with various different types of beans. Baroda was ruled by the Gaikwad family and I am pretty sure the history of this dish being so popular in Baroda comes from that. It is important to share that piece of info as to why usal is so famous in Baroda.
The most famous one is Lala kaka nu usal. Anyone who visits Baroda must try it. He used to have a little lorry/stall where he would serve this famous usal dish. Gradually, the guy bought a proper place and started serving it at his restaurant. Sev usal is such a working class meal for lot of people. It’s filling and it’s good as it is served with side of pav/pau (bread bun) and other accompaniments.
What is Sev Usal?
Sev refers to crispy noodles made with chickpea flour and Usal is the green peas stew. It’s soupy or like stew. There are two types of peas used interchangeably. I have always used green dried peas, but some recipes calls for white dried peas. Both are easily available at Indian grocery stores. It hardly changes the taste of over all dish. This dried green beans cooked in aromatics like onion, garlic, tomatoes and dry spices and is topped with sev and other accompaniments like raw finely chopped onions (provide a nice crunch), seasonally scallions too, some sour agent like lemon or tamarind chutney.
We do not add any yogurt in this dish, but some people do prefer to cut down on the heat.
Often times, Sev Usal is not served spicy but a side of ‘tari’ would be served for all those spice lovers to add more spice/heat to their usal. It’s good to be able to customize it and kids can also enjoy this meal. My niece loves dipping bun in the usal and eating it. ‘Tari’ is basically emulsion of red chili powder, garlic paste mixed in hot oil similar to chili oil. The step of cooking down the aromatics in oil with spices, and then preserving some of that liquid and then cooking the actual dish. Serve this preserved spicy tari on the side. We love spicy food, so I usually do not remove tari on the side.
Sev Usal is also eaten for breakfast and is available early morning in my city.
I have been making this dish for as long as I remember and thought of sharing with you all today.
I have shared Misal Pav recipe with you all, this has similar background but slight variation on the taste.
You can skip the tari part, and just make it to your preference of spice level.
Soaking Green peas helps them cook faster and evenly. I usually use pressure cooker or instant pot.
You can also boil them in a pot with a lid and then do the rest of the steps.
Sharing some serving suggestions if you are new to Usal;
Pav/Pau – Usal is best enjoyed with pav; it helps soak up the extra brothy liquid.
TOPPINGS –
- Sev – Crunchy Sev is a must topping that provides texture. It is also served on the side so people can add it right before serving/eating as it soaks up the gravy. Make sure sev is medium thick in shape. You can add mix of both spicy and non-spicy.
- Other toppings served are raw chopped onions, scallions, cilantro and some lemon slices. It just rounds up the dish so well. However, if you do not like raw onions, you can skip it.
- Imli chutney/ Tamarind Chutney – This might not be traditional, but I add some chutney on the side.
Sev Usal
Ingredients
- 1 cup Dried Green Peas boiled
- 4 tbsp neutral oil divided
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- ½ cup medium onion chopped
- 1 small tomato chopped
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp coriander-cumin powder
- 2 tsp usal masala optional if you do not have it instead add some garam masala
- Salt to taste
- Chopped onions, scallions, cilantro, lemon wedges and Farsan/sev to serve
Instructions
- Heat some oil in pot or deep pan on medium. Once the oil is hot, add garlic, onions, tomato . Saute the mixture until it starts browning. Add all the dry spices – red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander-cumin powder, usal masala or garam masala and salt to taste.
- Add boiled green peas and add 2 cups of water. Let the mixture simmer and come to boil. Adjust the consistency of liquid to your taste. It should have some liquid base. Mash some peas to thicken up the sauce.
- Garnish with some chopped cilantro leaves. Serve with a side of lemon, chopped onions, sev, and pav.
Notes
Serve the Sev and other toppings on the side. It becomes soggy if you add it before serving and helps people customize it according to their taste.
Green Peas beans can be easily steamed in a pot with some water. It takes longer to cook them about 45 minutes. I pressure cook them so its easier. Did you try this recipe? Tag @pistachiodoughnut and hashtag #pistachiodoughnutrecipes