Sev (Crunchy Fried Chickpea Noodles)

An important component in several Indian street foods, and a tasty snack just on its own.

Published October 06, 2022

A plate of composed papri chaat (a type of Indian street food made of multiple components) highlighting the sev topping. — Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

While sev dough is traditionally quite stiff and requires an extruder, ours is a bit looser and is easily made using a piping bag.

Sev are crunchy fried noodles made from a dough of chickpea flour and water. Chickpea flour, also called gram or besan flour, is a staple in South Asian cooking. It can be made from either raw or roasted chickpeas and is very crunchy when fried. It's often used to batter and fry vegetables in a manner similar to tempura.

Traditionally, the dough is very stiff and pressed through a brass extruder into hot oil. This stiff dough yields dense and sturdy sev, but it is impossible to cook without a sev extruder. I prefer a thick batter instead, which can be readily extruded with just a piping bag. The sev made from this batter has a more reserved crunch, but it's a compromise I'm happy to make if it means I can abstain from purchasing such a specific unitasker. Stored in an airtight container, sev stays crisp for a long time, making it ideal for preparing in large batches.

November 2017

This recipe was originally published as a component of our Papri Chaat (Indian Street Snack With Potato, Chickpeas, and Chutneys) Recipe and is being republished here as a separate recipe to make it easier to use.

Recipe Details

Sev (Crunchy Fried Chickpea Noodles) Recipe

Prep 5 mins

Cook 30 mins

Total 35 mins

Serves 4 servings

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

1 cup (115g) chickpea flour
1/2 teaspoon (2g) Kashmiri red chile powder (see note)
1/4 teaspoon (1g) freshly ground black pepper
Neutral oil, such as canola, for frying

Directions

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together chickpea flour, chili powder, black pepper, and enough water (1/3 cup to 1/2 cup) to form a mixture with the thickness of pancake batter.
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
Add batter to a piping bag fitted with a number 2 plain round tip, or use a zipper-lock bag with one corner snipped off to create a small opening.
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
Set a wire rack on top of a paper towel-lined rimmed baking sheet. Heat 2 inches of oil to 375°F (190°C). Pipe squiggles of batter into oil, like a funnel cake, and fry until bubbling ceases. Using a spider or strainer, lift fried sev and transfer to prepared baking sheet to drain. Repeat with remaining sev batter. If desired, break sev into small pieces to use as a topping (such as for papri chaat). Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Notes

A stand-alone snack in its own right, sev is also an important component in many Indian street foods.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The sev will stay crisp in an airtight container for up to 1 month at room temperature.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
197	Calories
12g	Fat
17g	Carbs
7g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	197
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g	15%
Saturated Fat 1g	4%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 33mg	1%
Total Carbohydrate 17g	6%
Dietary Fiber 3g	12%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 16mg	1%
Iron 2mg	8%
Potassium 256mg	5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.