Deep russet Navara sevai in a coconut-and-fennel Malabar masala, russet strands against pale coconut and a scatter of fried cashew.

Ingredients

From the TrooFoodz pantry

• Sprouted Navara Red Rice Vermicelli 360 g (2 packs)

Fresh

• Shallots, sliced 12
• Fresh coconut, grated 1/2 cup
• Fennel seeds 1 1/2 tsp
• Green chillies 3
• Ginger, chopped 1 tbsp
• Garlic cloves 6
• Potato, cubed 1
• Carrot, diced 1
• Green peas 1/2 cup
• Tomato, chopped 1
• Thin coconut milk 1 cup
• Thick coconut milk 1/2 cup
• Curry leaves 15
• Garam masala 1 tsp
• Turmeric 1/2 tsp
• Coconut oil 4 tbsp
• Cashews 16
• Salt 1 3/4 tsp

Method

1. Grind a wet masala

   Grind the grated coconut, fennel, chillies, ginger and garlic with a splash of water to a fine paste. Malabar biryani leans on this rather than dry powders.

2. Fry cashew and shallot

   Fry the cashews in coconut oil until pale gold, lift out, then fry the shallots in the same oil until browned and crisp.

3. Cook out the paste

   Add the ground paste with the curry leaves and fry patiently for six minutes until it stops smelling raw and the oil pulls away at the edges.

4. Simmer in thin milk

   Add the tomato, vegetables, turmeric, salt and the thin coconut milk. Cover and simmer 10 minutes until the potato is just yielding.

5. Soften the sevai

   Meanwhile pour boiling water over the Sprouted Navara Red Rice Vermicelli, stand 90 seconds, then drain and rinse cold. It holds a firmer bite than millet sevai and needs no more.

6. Finish with thick milk

   Stir the thick coconut milk and garam masala into the masala over the lowest heat and take it off before it boils, or it will separate.

7. Fold and rest

   Fold the sevai through with a light hand, cover and rest five minutes off the heat, then top with the fried shallots and cashews.

Why this works

Navara sevai is a rice noodle, so it firms up rather than collapsing and can be folded through a wet masala without breaking. Splitting the coconut milk is the key move: the thin milk does the simmering, and the thick milk goes in off the heat where its fat cannot break.

Make it your own

• Sprouted Navara Red Rice Vermicelli → Sprouted Little Millet Vermicelli Paler and softer; cut soaking to 60 seconds.
• Shallots → Red onion Less sweet; slice thin and brown a little longer.
• Cashews → Fried coconut slivers Nut-free, with more coconut character.