What is Thinai Sevai / Foxtail Millet Vermicelli Upma?
Thinai Sevai is a quick, nutritious breakfast made with Foxtail Millet vermicelli and veggies. Can be served as a snack or light dinner too. Thinai is also called Navane (in Kannada), Thina (Malayalam), Kangni (Hindi/ Urdu) and Korra (in Telugu).
Millets in place of Rice
Thinai or foxtail millet is a versatile millet that can be used in place of rice too. Of late, there has been a surge in millets being used to make vermicelli / pasta too. Todays recipe is a quick, healthy and filling breakfast / dinner with foxtail millet vermicelli. Of course it can be made plain too, with basic tempering but we prefer it loaded with veggies for a filling meal.
While we make pongal / idli / dosa / upma with millets, we loved the new addition that these millet vermicelli brings to the breakfast table. This is similar to the Ragi Sevai, but the latter was made from scratch at home and then seasoned. ANother easy and satvik (No onion no garlic) upma you might like is the Andhra Style Biyyapuravva Majjiga Upma (Cracked rice + buttermilk upma). What's more, I used leftover of this semiya upma in a delish cutlet too - check out the recipe here
Other millet recipes you may like in the blog are….
What can be served with this thinai sevai ?
Plain curd , coconut chutney or lemon pickle goes well. But as it’s spicy and filling on its own, we enjoy it as is.
PIN FOR LATER
5 reasons to use millet in everyday dishes
- gluten free
- Plant based
- Sustainable (as millets take very little water to grow)
- Versatile (can replace high GI polished rice in most meals)
- Filling and nutritious
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Let’s get to the recipe now
Prep time - 10 mins, steaming + cook time - 20 mins ; serves - 3
Cuisine - South Indian, Course - Breakfast / snack (incl. light dinner)
Ingredients to make Thinai Sevai
- 200 g foxtail millet (I used Anil brand)
- 2 teaspoon oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup mixed veggies (I used carrot, french beans and peas)
- 1 onion (large, minced)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon coriander leaves (chopped)
- 3 green chilies (minced)
- 1 inch ginger (grated)
Tempering
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon peanuts (simply skip for nut allergy)
- ½ teaspoon split black gram (urad dal)
- 1 sprig curry leaves
How to make Thinai Sevai | Foxtail millet vermicelli Upma
- Cook millet according to packet instructions. Cool thoroughly.
- Blanch / steam the veggies in a microwave (carrot/ potato / peas) for 5 mins until tender but still holding shape. Drain and keep aside.
- In a non stick pan, add the oil. Splutter the tempering ingredients.
- Once the dal has browned and the peanuts turn crunchy , add the onions, turmeric and green chillies.
- Let the onions brown a bit, takes 3-4 mins
- Add the steamed veggies and sauté
- Now add the ginger and mix once
- Add in the steamed / prepared millet vermicelli
- Toss lightly . Finish with lemon juice and coriander .
- Mix once lightly and serve immediately.
Thinai sevai | Foxtail millet vermicelli veg upma
Equipment
- pan
Ingredients
- 200 g Foxtail Millet I used Anil brand
- 2 teaspoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup Mixed Veggies I used carrot, french beans and peas
- 1 Onions large, minced
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- 1 teaspoon Green coriander leaves chopped
- 3 Green Chillies minced
- 1 inch Ginger grated
Tempering
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1 tablespoon Raw Peanuts simply skip for nut allergy
- ½ teaspoon split black gram urad dal
- 1 sprig Curry Leaves
Instructions
- Cook millet according to packet instructions. Cool thoroughly.
- Blanch / steam the veggies in a microwave (carrot/ potato / peas) for 5 mins until tender but still holding shape. Drain and keep aside.
- In a non stick pan, add the oil. Splutter the tempering ingredients.
- Once the dal has browned and the peanuts turn crunchy , add the onions, turmeric and green chillies.
- Let the onions brown a bit, takes 3-4 mins
- Add the steamed veggies and sauté
- Now add the ginger and mix once
- Add in the steamed / prepared millet vermicelli
- Toss lightly . Finish with lemon juice and coriander .
- Mix once lightly and serve immediately.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
I need to keep my eyes open to buy more millet products. Love the idea of making millet sevai as a quick weeknight dinner or for breakfast. Much healthier alternate to rice sevai.
Kalyani says
Thanks Sandhya, it sure does work great as a weeknight dinner!
Nayna Kanabar says
What a tasty and delicious dish that is light and perfect for lunch or supper. It looks healthy too so can enjoy without guilt.
Kalyani says
yes nayna! it surely is light !
srividhya says
Glad to see millet based pasta and sevai these days in the groceries. Earlier it was only ragi sevai now I can see different varieties. Good one with thinai sevai.
Kalyani says
absolutely vidhya, the varieties today are enormous.
Srivalli says
Wow the sevai looks amazing Kalyani...very good option!..I am yet to try with millets you are surely inspiring me to do it.
Kalyani says
thanks Valli. Yes sevai is a good way to start consuming millets for sure !
Harini says
I need to look for the thinai vermicelli. This can easily fit into my meal plan 🙂 Loving it.
Kalyani says
Thanks Harini, do try!
Radha says
Great millet recipe! I buy the same brand millet sevai and this is a quick meal fix for us too.
Kalyani says
that's great to know !
Chef Mireille says
What an easy way to make upma with noodles. Definitely going to try this this week.
Kalyani says
yay ! thanks Mir. Do try...
Archana says
The thinai sevai looks awesome. Definitely a wonderful breakfast option in my place. Thanks will lookout for the millets sevai.
Kalyani says
thanks archana. Hope you find them and try it too!
Seema says
Fantastic idea! This will be our fvorit lunch box recipe soon. I love the tip to blanch the vegetables before adding as this is always problem in my house.
Kalyani says
thank you, Seema. Am sure you would like it when you make these in a jiffy !
Mina Joshi says
Wow what an interesting recipe using foxtail millett vermicelli. I love that it's such an easy to follow recipe. Not sure if we get these millet vermicelli in UK. I will look online.
Kalyani says
Thanks Mina ji. these millet vermicelli are now widely available online these days, I do hope you can find them and try it too
Priya Vj says
Wholesome meal . I love the sevai varieties from Anil Brand . My go to quick fix breakfast is sevai any day.... 🙂
Kalyani says
yay thanks !