Zucchini Vegetable "Sevai" / Kichchadi

This is inspired from the fact that the vegetable, zucchini can be cut into noodles or spaghetti and used as a pasta/vermicelli substitute. It is also a good substitute if trying to reduce one's calories, since 100 grams of zucchini contain only 17 calories where as same amount of cooked rice vermicelli contains 200 calories and wheat spaghetti is about 160 calories.

I have used zucchini in pesto recipes and this is the first time I am trying it in an Indian dish. Basically, I have substituted rava (semolina) in the traditional South Indian upma kichchadi recipe with zucchini "noodles". I cannot think if any vegetable locally available in India can be used as a similar substitute. Perhaps, carrots cut into long thin strips can be used as healthy "noodles".

I guess for the best results one needs to use spiralized zucchini but I just cut them into very thin strips of about 3-5 mm square.

Ingredients (serves 2)

1. One medium size zucchini cut into long thin strips
2. Carrots (1/4 cup chopped)
3. Green beans (1/4 cup cut into 1 cm long)
4. Peas (1/4 cup)
5. Capsicum (1/4 cup)
6. Ginger (1 tsp chopped)
7. Green Chillies (1-2 chopped)
8. Curry leaves 
9. Oil
10. Mustard seeds (1/2 tbsp)
11. Split black gram (1/4 tbsp)
12. Split Bengal Gram (1/4 tbsp)
13. Asafoetida (1/4 tsp)
14. Turmeric powder (1 pinch)
15. Salt to taste

Method

1. Heat the oil in a wide bottom pan or wok and temper the mustard seeds, black gram and Bengal gram
2. Roast green chillies, ginger and curry leaves
3. Stir fry the vegetables (not the zucchini)
4. When the vegetables are half cooked, add the zucchini strips and stir them well
5. Add the turmeric powder, salt and asafoetida
6. Sprinkle water as needed to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the bottom. Zucchini, by its nature, lets out its moisture while cooking so control the water added.
7. Stir and mix well till the zucchini is cooked al dente

 I used chutney as a side dish.