Method

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds — let splutter. Add cumin, green chilli. Sauté 30 seconds. Add chopped tomatoes, turmeric, red chilli powder, sugar, and salt. Cook covered on medium 8–10 minutes until tomatoes are completely soft and mushy and release all their juices into a thick sauce.
About 5 min
Tip: The tomatoes must cook fully until they disintegrate into a thick sauce — not just softened. Undercooked tomatoes produce a watery, raw-tasting base.
Taste and adjust salt, chilli, and sugar. Add 100ml water if the curry is too thick. Bring to a simmer.
About 3 min
Tip: The sweet-sour-spicy balance is the soul of this dish — Gujarati cuisine uses sugar in savoury dishes deliberately. Do not skip the sugar.
Add thick sev to the curry in the final 2 minutes. Stir gently — some sev will soften and absorb the sauce, some will remain slightly firm. This textural contrast is the whole point of the dish. Garnish with fresh coriander. Serve immediately with hot rotis, puris, or bhakri.
About 3 min
Tip: Do not add the sev too early — it will completely dissolve into the sauce. Add just before serving for the ideal mix of crispy and soft sev textures.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)