Jowar sevai tossed in a coarse powder of toasted white sesame and dried red chilli, finished with coconut oil so the nuttiness comes forward.

Ingredients

From the TrooFoodz pantry

• Sprouted Jowar Vermicelli 1 pack (180 g)

Fresh

• White sesame seeds 5 tbsp
• Dried red chillies 3
• Urad dal 1 tbsp
• Cold-pressed coconut oil 3 tbsp
• Mustard seeds 1 tsp
• Curry leaves 2 sprigs
• Asafoetida 1/4 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Toast the sesame

   Dry-roast the sesame on a medium flame, shaking constantly, until the seeds pop and turn the colour of straw. Tip them out immediately or they will keep colouring.

2. Roast dal and chilli

   In the same pan roast the urad dal to a light gold, then the red chillies until they puff and darken at the edges.

3. Grind coarse

   Cool everything completely, add salt, and pulse to a coarse, sandy powder. Grinding warm sesame releases oil and turns it into a paste.

4. Cook the strands

   Boil the vermicelli two minutes, drain, rinse cold and fan it out to dry. Jowar sevai softens quickly, so err on the shorter side.

5. Temper lightly

   Heat coconut oil, crackle mustard, add curry leaves and asafoetida, then pour it over the sevai.

6. Fold in the podi

   Sprinkle the sesame powder over in three additions, tossing between each so it distributes instead of clumping in pockets.

Why this works

Sesame seeds are around half oil by weight, so they must be cooled before grinding or they seize into tahini. Roasting the chilli separately develops its own smoke without scorching the finer seeds. Coconut oil is chosen deliberately here: its own nutty character sits alongside sesame instead of competing with it.

Make it your own

• Sprouted Jowar Vermicelli → Sprouted Little Millet Vermicelli Lighter, faintly sweeter strand; drain a touch earlier.
• White sesame seeds → Black sesame seeds Smokier and more assertive, and the dish turns a dramatic charcoal grey.
• Coconut oil → Gingelly oil Doubles down on the sesame note for a much more pungent finish.