Lemon Sevai recipe | Lemon Flavored Instant Vermicelli Rice noodle

Lemon Sevai is a popular breakfast recipe from southern India using Instant Vermicelli Rice noodle.
Sevai is rice vermicelli. Traditionally it is home made from scratch. But in todays times, we don’t have the luxury of time to do that.
I remember in my native Salem, Idiappam or rice vermicelli will be prepared from scratch and used to be served as breakfast.
I love sevai recipes as they are so light for breakfast and so quick to make when instant rice vermicelli or instant sevai is used.
There are many brands of sevai, I have used Anil and bambino brand and both works for this recipe.
I remember my friends who eat plant based love Lemon rice. This is a sister recipe of Lemon rice, if you replace sevai with cooked rice.

How to eat
Best served with chutney, check out suitable accompaniments for Lemon Sevai below,
Tomato Pickle | Thakkai thokku
Coconut chutney / Raw coconut dip
Onion Tomato chutney / 15 minutes onion tomato chutney

Ingredients required
- 1/2 Onion (Finely chopped)
- 2 no.s Green chilli
- 1 tbsp Oil
- Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
- 1 tbsp Urad dal
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida
- 1 tbsp Ginger (finely chopped)
- A few Curry leaves
- 3/4 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Salt (to taste)
- 180 gms Instant Sevai or Vermecilli
- 400 ml Water
- 1 Lemon juice
Prep work before you begin
Finely chop the onions, and ginger, slit the green chillies, measure and keep the water ready.
Notes
If the sevai or thin semiya is not roasted, dry roast it before use.
Sometimes the water measurement is given in the pack, if it differed do follow as per pack.
How to Make Lemon Sevai Recipe
- Heat a pan on medium flame, add oil. Once hot add mustard seeds, allow it to sputter.
- Next add in the urad dal, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves and asafoetida. Sauté for a 30 seconds.
- Add onions, little salt and add in the turmeric powder and cook for a few minutes until the raw turmeric flavour is gone and the onions turn translucent.
- Measure and water, bring it to a boil.
- Check the water for salt, it has to be a tad bit salty.
- Next add the roasted sevai or vermicelli. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the water is absorbed.
- Turn off the flame and add the lemon juice and mix well.
- Serve with your favorite side dish.
Check out other breakfast recipes below,
VadaCurry Recipe | Vada curry | Vadakari

Lemon Sevai
Ingredients
- 1/2 Onion (Finely chopped)
- 2 no.s Green chilli
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp Urad dal
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida
- 1 tbsp Ginger (finely chopped)
- A few Curry leaves
- 3/4 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Salt (to taste)
- 180 gms Instant Sevai or Vermecilli
- 400 ml Water
- 1 Lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat a pan on medium flame, add oil. Once hot add mustard seeds, allow it to sputter.
- Next add in the urad dal, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves and asafoetida. Sauté for a 30 seconds.
- Add onions, little salt and add in the turmeric powder and cook for a few minutes until the raw turmeric flavour is gone and the onions turn translucent.
- Measure and water, bring it to a boil. Check the water for salt, it has to be a tad bit salty.
- Add the roasted sevai or vermicelli. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the water is absorbed.
- Turn off the flame and add the lemon juice and mix well.
Also check out other similar recipes