Sev

The crunch that lands last on a chaat.

What it is

Sev are thin, crisp, savoury noodles fried from spiced gram-flour batter — the crunchy finishing scatter over chaats and snacks, and a snack by the handful on their own. They come in thicknesses from hair-fine to thick, plain or spiced.

Where it comes from

Sev belong to the street-food and snack tradition, especially of the west and north — the crisp topping of bhel and sev puri, and a component of countless namkeen (savoury snack) mixes.

What it's called

Sev · from the extruded shape. Made from besan (gram flour). Thick and fine grades exist.

In the kitchen

Scattered over chaats (bhel puri, sev puri, dahi puri) for crunch and over some dishes as a garnish, and eaten by the handful. Added at the very end so it stays crisp — sev goes soggy fast once it meets moisture. A finishing texture, not a base.

What we know about the claims

A fried snack food — enjoy as the treat it is; gram flour gives it some protein, but it is fried. No caution beyond that.

Choosing and buying

Sold bagged in every South Asian grocer (UK and US), plain or spiced, fine or thick. Keep sealed and dry so it stays crisp.