Find Out How The Mouthwatering And Moreish Chicken Foot Or Sal Sev Is Made

Chicken foot. This is not the actually foot of a chicken rather it’s a snack – a crunchy snack made of flour and spices and fried in oil.  It is usually eaten with sour (mango chutney) but it can also be enjoyed by itself.  Chicken foot is also called sal sev.

Origin Of Chicken Foot/Sal Sev

Sev is a popular Indian snack food consisting of small pieces of crunchy noodles made from chickpea flour paste, which are seasoned with turmeric, cayenne, and ajwain before being deep-fried in oil. These noodles vary in thickness. Ready-to-eat varieties of sev, including flavored sev, are available in Indian stores.

In India, sev is eaten as a standalone snack as well as a topping on dishes like bhelpuri and sevpuri. Sev can be made at home and stored for weeks in airtight containers.

The snack is popular in Madhya Pradesh, especially in the cities of Indore , Ujjain and Ratlam, where many snack foods consist of sev as a main ingredient. In Madhya Pradesh, sev is used as a side ingredient in almost every chaat snack food (a savory snack that originated in India), especially ratlami sev, which is made from cloves and chickpea flour. Many varieties of sev are sold commercially, such as long (clove) sev, tomato sev, palak sev, plain sev, and bhujia.

Tip:

In the UK, popular varieties of sev mixed with nuts, lentils and pulses are commonly sold as ‘Bombay mix’.

Chicken Foot/Sal Sev In Guyana

There are two ways to make chicken foot/sal sev in Guyana. The recipes are found below:

Recipe #1

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder or geera
• pinch of cayenne powder
• salt to taste
• 1 cup water
• 3 cups canola oil for frying

Method:

1. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add water.
2. Knead together water and dry ingredients to make a stiff dough.
3. Roll dough out on a floured surface until really thin.
4. Divide dough into two halves. Roll half out until it doubles in size, then cut in two halves.
5. Cut halves into squares, then using a sharp knife cut into strips.
6. Repeat process for other half of dough.
7. Fry strips of dough in hot oil (about 250 degrees Fahrenheit) until golden brown.
8. Remove from heat and drain on paper towel.
9. Let cool and enjoy with some mango sour.

Recipe #2

Ingredients:

• Cinnamon Powder – 1/4 tsp
• Cloves Powder – 1/4 tsp
• Coarse Black Pepper Powder – 1/2 tsp
• Red Chili Powder – 1/2 tsp or to taste
• Salt – 1/2 tsp
• Water – 1/4 cup
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Baking Soda – a pinch
• Lemon /Lime Juice – 1 tsp
• Chickpea Flour (Besan) – 1 cup
• Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. In a bowl mix everything except the Chickpea Flour.
2. Mix well and then add the Chickpea Flour little at a time, mixing constantly, making sure no lumps are formed.
3. Heat the oil for frying.
4. Grease the inside of the Sev-Maker.
5. Wipe the outside of the Sev-Maker and wash hands and make sure they are not slippery. Pour some of the mixture into the Sev-Maker and close it.
6. Once the oil is hot, rotate the sev-maker and in a circular motion pour carefully into the oil.
7. Once you have completed one circle, rotate the sev-maker backwards to stop the flow.
8. Cook the sev on medium heat for about 3-4 minutes and flip using the help of another spoon or fork to avoid splashing.
9. Cook on the other side for a couple of minutes till there are no more bubbles forming.
10. Take out the sev and place on a paper towel.
11. Allow to cool down to room temperature.
12. Break into pieces and store in an air-tight container and store.
13. Does not need to be refrigerated.

Chicken Foot/Sal Sev

Both recipes are referred to as chicken foot/sal sev but they are made quite differently. Both are made and sold in Guyana. There are many other ways to make this delicious snack, it is made and eaten differently in various countries. Guyanese enjoy eating their chicken foot/sal sev with sour but some eat it without. This spicy, crunchy snack can be eaten at any time of the day or night and it can be a ‘goto snack’ for cricket matches and movie time instead of popcorn munching.

It is sold at the canteen of many schools, it is sold in the market, at the corner of the streets displayed upon stands/tables and it is also sold at snack shops and supermarkets. You can make your own snacks as well with the recipes and methods mentioned above. It’s a bit of hard work but the end result is worth the effort – it is absolutely mouthwatering and moreish!

Article References:

• http://guyanachronicle.com/2018/02/04/chicken-foot-recipe
• http://showmethecurry.com/appetizers/hot-spicy-sev-a-perfect-savory-snack-namkeen.html
• https://nuts.com/snacks/indian/sev.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sev_(food)