Shev Bhaji

Thin sev in potato-tomato gravy — a thin, pourable curry made from fried onion, tomato, ginger-garlic paste, and a Vidarbha masala base, into which crispy thin sev (deep-fried chickpea flour vermicelli) is added just before serving and stirred until the sev softens slightly and absorbs the gravy while still retaining some texture. Potato cubes are added to the gravy for body. The shev bhaji is a Vidarbha street food invention: cheap, quick, and intensely flavoured. The sev absorbs the gravy's spice and becomes the textural centrepiece — slightly crisp at the surface, soft inside. Eaten with bhakri or with fresh bread (pav) for breakfast; a Nagpur dhaba staple. The texture of the sev in the gravy changes by the minute — crispiest right after adding, fully absorbed after ten minutes — and different diners prefer different stages.