Kara sev is a savoury snack from Sattur in the Virudunagar district of Tamil Nadu. It has been a popular all-time favourite since 1914. Like the Tirunelveli halwa and Kovilpatti chikkis, Sattur has become synonymous to kara sev.
The makers are in the process of securing a GI tag with the help of NABARD.
To make the crispy savouries the Sattur red chilli, along with a paste of mountain garlic, a hint of asafoetida, and a smatter of cumin is mixed in water.
It is in this mixture that the chickpea flour is kneaded. A little amount of rice powder is added to this paste to give the much-needed crunch to the snack.
The master then literally grates this dough using a perforated ladle into the groundnut oil bubbling in a cauldron where it is fried to perfection.
To keep the fire cackling in the open baked mud stoves, the waste from the matchbox making industry is used. The embers from the very fine thin wood keeps the temperature right.
