Shavige

Pressed rice vermicelli — raw rice soaked and ground into a smooth, thick dough with salt, cooked briefly in water until firm, then pressed through a cylindrical mould with small holes to form thin rice noodles, which are steamed until translucent and cooked through. Eaten with coconut chutney and huli as a breakfast alternative to idli and dosa; also tossed with a lemon or tamarind tempering (shavige bath) in the style of flavoured rice. The Udupi shavige is freshly made from scratch — distinct from the dried rice vermicelli (semiya) bought in packets; the texture is distinctly more silky, firm, and bouncy with a clean rice flavour. The Udupi Krishna Math temple prasadam for certain festivals is shavige; it is also one of the breakfast items served at the historic Udupi restaurant hotels that defined South Indian food culture in Mumbai.