A BIT LIKE A SALAD, BUT MUCH MORE LOADED- RICE VERMICELLI WITH GREEN BEANS, COCONUT AND ROASTED PEANUTS.

A weekend post is essential right?! A good quality post. Something that is easy, healthy and so good that you would want to make it right away!

 Many of you would know it was Basant Panchmi yesterday. It is a Hindu festival that indicates the onset of Spring, of new life. The colour yellow is strongly associated with this day because the mustard flowers bloom and give the fields an overall mustard-yellow appearance, that is both beautiful and mesmerising.

Basant Panchmi is celebrated with much fervour in the agricultural community. People wear yellow clothes, pray and make sweet rice that are coloured yellow with turmeric.

In addition to all those traditions, the day is associated with the worship of Maa Saraswati, the Hindu Goddess of knowledge and wisdom. People in West Bengal hold a grand pooja (prayer) and practice the custom of keeping all their books and writing instruments in the temple. That means... no studying till the evening prayer, and I bet many of you were elated to do that as kids!
Because I am not a Bengali, I always wished we had such a custom too! :P
In my family, we just commemorate the day by a small prayer, put on yellow clothes and make yellow rice/ pulao. Not sweet, we *hate* sweet rice!

This time around I thought of making a vermicelli salad kind of a thing,
Just because I had some lying in the pantry! It is the same rice vermicelli I used in my Thai Style Soup here. *Check it out. It is so hearty you'll love it!*

This rice vermicelli is made with green beans and carrots. Flavoured with red chilies, lemon juice and asafoetida. Tempered with mustard seeds and turmeric. Topped with shredded coconut and coriander.
It is light on the stomach, healthy, flavoursome and really quick to make. Should be on the table in half an hour max! *Don't you just LOVE hearing anything about quick+ healthy meals?*
Go make it now!

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Love,
Kavya

RICE VERMICELLI WITH TURMERIC, GREEN BEANS AND CARROTS.

Serves 3-5 as a snack
Prep time- 20-30 minutes

Ingredients-
100gm rice vermicelli/ seviyaan
Water and salt, to boil the vermicelli
3 tbsp oil (mustard, vegetable, canola or olive)
1 tbsp mustard seeds
Pinch asafoetida
20-25 green beans, cut into small bite sized pieces
2 medium carrots, cut into long shaves with a peeler
1 red chili julienned
Salt and pepper to taste
Approx 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
Juice of 1 lemon, about 1-1.5tbsp
Home sugar for balancing flavours, optional
Handful roasted peanuts*
Handful of shredded/ shaved coconut
Coriander, to garnish

JUST PICTURED. I USED MORE CORIANDER! :P

Method-

1. Bring a pan of water to boil and add some salt to it.
2. Add the vermicelli and let cook for about 1-2 minutes. Shouldn't take longer for it to soften.
3. Strain and keep aside. Also, keep some of the starchy water for later use.
4. Heat the oil in a wok. Add the asafoetida and mustard seeds.
5. When the seeds start to crackle, add the beans and some salt.
6. Cover and let the beans cook and soften for 4-5 minutes.
7. Add the carrots and red chili. Season with salt, pepper and turmeric. Remember you added a little salt to your vermicelli and beans too.
8. Let the ingredients cook uncovered for a minute.
9. Throw in the vermicelli, the lemon juice and sugar, if using.
10. Mix well using two forks. Add some starchy water to keep the vermicelli moist and soft, and the whole dish together. It'll be too dry to eat otherwise.
11. Transfer into a bowl and top to your heart's content with the roasted peanuts, coconut and coriander.
12. Serve hot as it is or with mint/onion raita.

*If you have raw peanuts on hand, roast for a minute or two in the same oil you use for the whole recipe. After they've browned a bit, take them out and proceed with the addition of mustard seeds and asafoetida.

Enjoy! :)