Indian Stir-Fried Noodle Recipe From ‘Indian Simmer’

Every week, we’re spotlighting a different food blogger who’s shaking up the blogosphere with tempting recipes and knockout photography. Here, Prerna Singh of Indian Simmer conjures her mother-in-law’s stir-fried noodle dish with a little help from the expert.

Photo: Prerna Singh

Indian Stir-Fried Noodles

You know how there are a few dishes that only a mom can make the right way? Every person has one. These stir fried noodles are a dish that my husband’s mother, Mumma, has perfected. 

It’s a very simple recipe using sevaiyan (thick vermicelli) and few other ingredients, but however hard I tried, I could never get it right. Sometimes my noodles were too thin, I used oil too sparingly, or sometimes it was just about the quality of my curry leaves. But I began to wonder if it was simply about a different set of hands. So on a recent trip to Mumma’s house, my agenda was to perfect the art of cooking them.

I told Mumma, and I could see the excitement on her face. She made several trips to the chaurahe waali dukan (corner shop) until she found the right noodles, managed to pluck some curry leaves from the neighbor’s plant while they were having their afternoon siesta, and I made sure I listened. Yes, I listened and took notes. 

After coming back home, this was first thing that I cooked. I did it again and again, exhausting the whole stock of vermicelli she had sent home with me, until I came close to replicating her dish. I guess I can never make it taste exactly like Mumma’s, but close enough is good enough for me.

Water
Salt, to taste
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
2 tablespoons curry leaves (roughly chopped if the leaves are too big for you)
½ cups finely chopped onion
2 cups thick vermicelli (Look for wheat vermicelli at an Indian market. If your vermicelli is long, break it into smaller pieces about 2 to 3 inch in length.)
1 teaspoon coriander powder
½ teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon lemon juice

In a saucepan, boil some water. Add salt to taste. Set aside.

Heat oil in a separate wide pan (my mother-in-law uses an Indian wok). Add mustard seeds. Once they start to pop, add curry leaves. Step aside after adding the leaves, as they can pop and splatter oil on you.

Add chopped onion and cook until translucent. Add coriander and curry powder. Mix and add the vermicelli. Fry the noodles for a couple of minutes for them to nicely coat in oil.

Start adding water slowly. A little less water can leave the noodles undercooked and a little extra can make them soggy. So the trick is to add a little water, keep stirring for noodles to cook and at the same time extra water to evaporate. Keep doing the same until the noodles are just a touch undercooked.
Turn off the heat, add a splash of lemon juice, mix, and cover the noodles for a few minutes. Steam trapped in the pan will cook the noodles through. Serve hot.

More outside-the-box noodle dishes:

Curried Shrimp and Noodles Recipe From Pêche in New Orleans

Hearty Pasta Pie Recipe From ‘Eat in My Kitchen’

Miso Carbonara and Sausage Meatball Recipe From ‘Lady and Pups’

What’s your go-to pasta dish? Tell us below!