What South Asian crunchy noodle snack is made from chickpea flour paste? The answer is sev.
Sev consists of thin, crunchy strands made by pressing seasoned chickpea-flour paste through a perforated mould and deep-frying it. Turmeric, cayenne, salt, and ajwain are common seasonings, although the strands may be fine, thick, plain, spicy, or flavoured. The result is a brittle snack that can be eaten by itself or used as a topping.
Sev is especially important in Indian chaat. It adds crispness to bhel puri, sev puri, and other snacks, and in parts of Madhya Pradesh it appears in an especially wide range of street foods. Ratlami sev, associated with Ratlam, is a notable variety seasoned with cloves as well as chickpea flour. In Tamil Nadu, a related preparation is known as oma podi.
Sev is not the same as bhujia, although bhujia is sometimes listed among related or mixed snack varieties. Bhujia is typically more strongly associated with a spiced, noodle-like mixture containing additional ingredients such as moth-bean flour. Sev may also be mixed with lentils, nuts, and other fried components in snacks sold as Bombay mix or chanachur.