Semiya Bagalabath / Curd Semiya / Thayir Semiya

When my mother visited this summer, I had a lot of opportunity to learn several simple dishes that were classic and traditional. The semiya bagalabath or vermicelli bagalabath was such a pleasant change from the routine curd rice. I am not in any way saying this could take away the thayir saadham / curd rice’s place from my family. That always holds a special spot, but when making semiya upma, this is a wonderful thing to make along with it.My mother started off the procedure just as we would for semiya upma and then let it cool down and added the curd to it. This way the spices were spread all across the dish. This is also a lovely party dish to make. If using the roasted vermicelli available in the market, making the dish is a breeze. I have made the semiya bagalabath without any vegetables, but if preferred you could add onions and any other vegetable of your choice.Preparation time – 5 minutes
Cooking time – 25 minutes
Difficulty level – easy

Ingredients – serves 4 (along with another dish or 2 by itself)

Semiya / Vermicelli – 1 cup
Curd / Yogurt – 1 cup (whisked slightly)
Water – 2 cups
Salt – to taste
Oil – 1 tsp

To season –

Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Jeera – ¼ tsp (optional)
Ullutham paruppu / urad dal – 1 tsp
Kadalai paruppu / channa dal – 1 tsp
Red chilies – 1
Green chilies – 1 (sliced)
Asafetida – a pinch
Curry leaves – few
Oil – 1 tbsp

To garnish –

Cilantro – few (chopped)
Cashews – 2 tbsp (cut into small pieces)
Raisins – 1 tbsp

Procedure to make Semiya Bagalabath –

Heat a wide pan and add 1 tsp of oil to it. Add the cashews and the raisins and let it fry until golden brown. Drain it and keep aside.
In the same pan, add the semiya and fry it until it slightly starts to change color. If using roasted semiya, you could skip this step. Remove it from the pan and keep aside.
Add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil to the pan and add all the ingredients under seasoning. Fry them till the mustard seeds splutter and then add the water. Add the salt needed for the dish and let the water come to a boil.

Once the water boil vigorously add the semiya to the boiling water and cook it until very soft. The semiya would be a little watery when done, but when it cools down it will come together.
Let the cooked semiya cool down and bit and then add the whisked yogurt to it. Mix it well and check the seasoning. If needed, add more yogurt.