Curd Semiya

Semiya (vermicelli) is a type of pasta which is commonly used in south indian cooking to
make semiya upma or semiya payasam. But semiya is a very versatile ingredient and
you can make many dishes out of it by tossing the cooked semiya with different sauces.
Here is the recipe of thayir semiya made very similar to curd rice. You can also make
other dishes like lemon semiya (similar to lemon rice) , puli semiya (semiya tossed in a
tamarind sauce), semiya biriyani, coconut semiya (like coconut rice), tomato
semiya (like tomato rice) etc.
Another variation to these dishes is to use sevai (or rice noodles) for all of the
above recipe. Each variation yields different flavours but is definately finger licking.

Ingredients
Semiya - 2 cups
Curd - 3 cups
Milk/ Water - 1 cup
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 5-6
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Dry red chillies - 3-4
Green chilly - 1
Asaefoetida - a pinch
Oil - 1 tblsp
Cashew - 1 tblsp
Coconut (fresh grated) - 2 tblsp
Sugar - a pinch
Salt - to taste

For Garnish (You can use any of these to garnish)
Cilantro (finely chopped)
Carrot (grated)
Cashews (chopped)
Fruits like grapes and pomegranate
Method
1. Fill a deep pot with water and bring it to a boil. When the water boils, add salt and little
oil in the water and put the semiya in.
2. Let the semiya cook until it is done. Drain the water completely and run it under cold
water immediately. This will stop the cooking process and prevent the semiya from
sticking to each other.
3. Beat the curd with water/ milk. Add the required salt and sugar to it.
4. Heat oil in a small pan, splutter the mustard seeds, urad dal, dry red chillies,
asafoetida and curry leaves. Add this to the beaten curd.
5. Grind the cashews, green chillies and grated coconut together and add it to the curd
as well.
6. Finally add the cooked semiya to the curd and mix well. The semiya will make the dish
thicker so add more curd than you feel is necessary.
7. Garnish with grated carrot or fruits or chopped nuts or chopped cilantro. Serve as
breakfast or as part of a multi course meal.

Tips
- You can make instant curd semiya with left over semiya upma by just adding beaten
curd to the upma.