. It is very easy to make as we do not have any grinding to do and I simplified it even further by using store bought rice flour. You can cool the sevai and make varieties similar to mixed rice like lemon sevai, coconut sevai, etc. Overall a tasty authentic dish that is also healthy. Off to the recipe.
Plain sevai, lemon sevai and channa side dish. For lemon sevai follow the method mentioned for lemon rice after the sevai cools. Use the sevai instead of rice.
Pic updated on 3/21/2013.
Ingredients
2 cups rice flour
Salt
2 – 3 cups hot water
Oil to coat the vessel
Method
Steam the rice flour for 5 minutes. My mom says that this makes the sevai soft.
Then add salt and mix.
This is the disc we use for sevai in the murukku maker. (Murukku maker is similar to a cookie press)
Add hot water to the flour and mix using a spatula.
Form a dough.
Fill the murukku maker with a portion of the dough and press it to get the sevai. Form the sevai over a vessel or idli plate that has been slightly oiled. (I oil it only before the first sevai because we do not want it to stick.)
I use the pressure cooker for steaming. Just follow whatever steaming method you use for idlis.
Pressed sevai ready for steaming. Love the pretty strands. Steam for 10 minutes similar to idli.
After steaming.
 on http://cooksjoy.com/blog "Pin It")
Hi, I am really enjoying your site, with so much to learn and try-thank you!!! I have always failed miserably with idiappam and really would appreciate your help. Do you use regular indian store bought rice flour like swad brand etc, or is it special idiappam flour? Also how soft should the dough be- like should it be as moist as possible but still hold shape or should it be drier. Also about how hot
should the water be. Should the dough be very soft and white, or should it get a little more glutinous and cooked looking?My idiappams look good, but they taste too sandy,at the back of the throat. Also sometimes they come out too gummy. If making with homemade flour, which rice is best to use? can i do like your rice flour procedure and use the sona masuri, and if so should i roast flour before use, or use just after grinding and sieving? sorry for all the ?s but i am Really At my wits end with these failure idiappams!!!!
After your input I will make my Final attempt:)
Thank you for your kind words.
1. I use regular store bought flour. (any brand would work)
2. The dough just needs to come together. Add hot water and mix with the spatula until it comes together without crumbs. Then finally shape it into a ball using your hand.
3. I bring water to a boil and use it.
4. The dough will just be white and soft to the touch.
5. Store bought flour is best to use since homemade rice flour might be grainy. If you still have to use homemade flour, then sona masoori rice can be used. The roasting is just to remove moisture. In this case, we are going to add water and we can skip the roasting part.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
My murukku maker is like the one you have on your picture. Looks like a gun. I dont seem to get it right on that. Aren’t your hands aching from pressing through that? Any suggestions to improve so I can still use it and not buy the traditional one?
My murukku maker is the twisting type (http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2011/10/ribbon-pakoda-diwali-snacks.html). Yeah, at times it is hard to twist, but it is easier than the traditional one.