Search for shevai on UmedMart and you'll get well over a hundred listings: rava, gahu, maida, nachni, jowar, kodo, beet, palak, moringa, mango, pista, chocolate, gulkand, and packs from 100 g up to 1 kg. Most of the titles say "natural" and "no maida", and most of the photos look the same. The thing that actually decides how your kheer or upma turns out is the flour the shevai is made from, and the listings don't make that easy to see. This guide sorts it out.
Quick answer: which shevai for what
- Shevai upma or a savoury breakfast: rava (semolina) shevai. It's the most forgiving and the strands stay separate.
- Shevayachi kheer: rava or gahu (wheat) shevai, roasted in ghee first. Maida shevai is softer still if that's how your family likes it.
- Swapping in millets: nachni, jowar, bajri, kodo or foxtail millet shevai. They're darker and earthier, and you should read the label for what else is in the dough.
- For children, or as a treat: the flavoured ones (mango, pista, chocolate, gulkand). These are a sweet shevai, not an everyday one.
- Best value for a family that eats shevai weekly: a 1 kg pack of plain rava or wheat shevai, which works out at roughly a third of the per-kilo price of the 200 g specialty packs.
What shevai actually is
Shevai (also written shevaya, sevai or shewaya) is vermicelli: a stiff dough of flour and water, pushed through a perforated die into thin strands and dried. Most of the SHG shevai on UmedMart is made in small batches and sun-dried, the same way many Maharashtrian households still make it at home in the dry months alongside papad and kurdai. Hat shevai (sometimes "haat shevaya") means hand-made: the strands are worked by hand rather than pressed out by machine.
Two practical differences from the factory vermicelli in a supermarket:
- It usually isn't pre-roasted. Many packaged supermarket brands sell "roasted vermicelli". SHG shevai is generally plain and pale, so you roast it yourself (more on that below). If a pack doesn't say roasted, assume it isn't.
- Strand thickness varies. Some batches are hair-fine, some closer to thin spaghetti. Thicker strands need a minute or two more in the pan. That's small-batch work, not a defect.
The five kinds you'll see, and what changes
Rava shevai (ravyachi shevai): the all-rounder
Rava is semolina, the coarse, granular part of milled wheat. Shevai made from it is pale cream, smooth, and holds its shape well once cooked, which is why it's the usual choice for shevai upma where you want separate strands rather than a clump. It's also fine for kheer.
- CHAITANY GRUH UDYOG Ravyachi Shevai, 1 kg, ₹214 (also in 500 g at ₹154), made by Bhumika Mahila SHG in Solapur district. At about ₹214 a kilo this is one of the lowest per-kilo prices on the site for plain shevai.
- EKTA Rava Shevai, 100 g, ₹130, from Ekta SHG in Amravati. A small trial pack; expensive by the kilo but useful if you only want to try it.
Gahu (wheat) shevai: slightly darker, slightly softer
Made from wheat flour rather than semolina. It cooks a little softer and has a mildly wheaty taste, and it's the traditional choice in many homes for sweet shevai cooked in milk. In practice gahu and rava shevai are interchangeable in most recipes, and some packs simply say "shevai" without naming the flour, so if it matters to you, check the ingredient list on the pack.
- SARSWATI Shevai (wheat), 1 kg, ₹276, from Sarswati Women SHG in Nandurbar.
- AMRUTA GRUH UDYOG Shevai, 1 kg, ₹288, handmade and sun-dried by Jay Tulja Bhavani Mahila SHG in Solapur district.
- SHREE SHAKTI Shevai, 1 kg, ₹192.34, from Shree Shakti Mahila SHG, Solapur.
- OMSAI RAM Gahu Shevai, 500 g, ₹192, from Om Sairam Women SHG in Dhule district.
- SHRUSHTI HIRKANI Shewaya, 250 g, ₹180.36, handmade by Rajmata SHG in Latur.
- SHREE KRUSHAN Hat Shevai, 500 g, ₹468, hand-made shevai from Jalgaon. It costs more than machine-pressed shevai because it takes far longer to make.
- GHATAIDEVI SHG Khapali Wheat Shevai, 200 g, ₹178, from Satara. Khapali (khapli) is emmer wheat, an older type of wheat still grown in parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka. It's darker and nuttier than everyday wheat.
Maida shevai: the softest, and honest about it
Maida is refined wheat flour. Shevai made from it is the whitest and softest of the lot and cooks fastest. Lots of listings advertise "no maida" as if maida were a contaminant. It isn't. It's a different flour with a different texture, and plenty of families prefer it in kheer. What matters is that the label tells you which one you're buying.
- ANNPURNA Maida Sevai, 250 g, ₹173, from a women's SHG in Hingoli, labelled plainly as maida.
Millet shevai: nachni, jowar, bajri, kodo and more
Millet shevai is darker (nachni turns almost brown), earthier in taste, and a little softer once cooked. If your family already eats nachni bhakri or jowar, this is the shevai that will feel familiar. If the millet names on these packs are confusing, our guide to Maharashtra's millet names decodes them.
Read the label. Millets have no gluten, and dough made only from millet flour doesn't hold together well as long thin strands. That's why many millet shevai are blended with wheat flour or semolina. One RAJLAXMI listing says outright that its kodo millet vermicelli is "blended with other ingredients". That's normal, but it means a "millet shevai" isn't automatically wheat-free. If you're avoiding wheat for any reason, check the ingredient list on the pack or ask us before you order.
- GHATAIDEVI SHG (Satara), 500 g at ₹348.13 each: Ragi (nachni), Jowar, Bajri. Also Nachani Satva Shevai, 200 g, ₹190, made with nachni satva (the fine extract of sprouted finger millet).
- RAJLAXMI (Shree Swami SHG, Dharashiv), 200 g at ₹150 each: Kodo millet, Foxtail millet, Little millet, Jowar and Nachani. Small packs make these the easiest way to try a millet you haven't cooked before.
- Not sure which one your family will like? The GHATAIDEVI six-flavour combo (₹529) has ragi, wheat, jowar, bajra, pista and strawberry in one box.
Vegetable shevai: beet, palak, moringa
These are wheat- or rava-based shevai with a vegetable worked into the dough. Beet gives a deep pink, palak a green, moringa (drumstick leaf) a darker green. The colour is the main reason to buy them. It's the easiest way to get a child to eat a bowl of shevai upma. The amount of vegetable in a strand is small, so think of them as a colourful shevai rather than a serving of vegetables.
- Dattakrupa Beet Shevai, 250 g, ₹202, from Hiratai Shegokar Mahila Bachat Gat, Amravati.
- EKTA (Amravati), 100 g at ₹130: Beet and Palak. The listings say the colour comes from the vegetable, with no added colour.
- VAINGANGA Moringa Shevai, 250 g, ₹216.31, from Bhandara district.
Flavoured shevai: mango, pista, chocolate, gulkand
These are made for sweet dishes: a quick kheer, or shevai cooked in milk and sugar for a child's tiffin. The flavour and colour have to come from something, and listings often don't say whether that's fruit, an essence or a food colour. Some packs say "no artificial flavour" and some don't mention it at all. If that matters to you, read the ingredient list printed on the pack. Keep plain shevai for anything savoury. A mango-flavoured upma isn't anyone's idea of breakfast.
- BHARATMATA Mango Shevai, 500 g, ₹180.36, from Bharatmata SHG, Kolhapur.
- GHATAIDEVI SHG (Satara), 200 g at ₹178: Gulkand and Chocolate.
- RAJLAXMI (Dharashiv), 200 g at ₹150: Vanilla, Butterscotch and Chocolate.
Price per kilo, side by side
Pack sizes run from 100 g to 1 kg, so the sticker price is misleading. Here's what each one costs by the kilo, at the prices listed today.
| Shevai | Pack | Price | Per kg (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SHREE SHAKTI (Solapur) | 1 kg | ₹192.34 | ₹192 |
| CHAITANY Ravyachi (Solapur) | 1 kg | ₹214 | ₹214 |
| SARSWATI wheat (Nandurbar) | 1 kg | ₹276 | ₹276 |
| AMRUTA (Solapur) | 1 kg | ₹288 | ₹288 |
| BHARATMATA Mango (Kolhapur) | 500 g | ₹180.36 | ₹361 |
| OMSAI RAM Gahu (Dhule) | 500 g | ₹192 | ₹384 |
| ANNPURNA Maida (Hingoli) | 250 g | ₹173 | ₹692 |
| GHATAIDEVI millet (Satara) | 500 g | ₹348.13 | ₹696 |
| SHRUSHTI HIRKANI (Latur) | 250 g | ₹180.36 | ₹721 |
| RAJLAXMI millet / flavoured (Dharashiv) | 200 g | ₹150 | ₹750 |
| Dattakrupa Beet (Amravati) | 250 g | ₹202 | ₹808 |
| GHATAIDEVI Khapali / Gulkand / Chocolate | 200 g | ₹178 | ₹890 |
| SHREE KRUSHAN Hat Shevai (Jalgaon) | 500 g | ₹468 | ₹936 |
| EKTA (Amravati) | 100 g | ₹130 | ₹1,300 |
The pattern is simple. Plain rava or wheat shevai in a 1 kg pack is the everyday buy. Millet, vegetable, flavoured and hand-made shevai cost two to four times as much per kilo, and they're worth buying in small packs until you know which one your household will actually finish.
How to cook it so it doesn't turn to mush
Roast first, almost always
Because SHG shevai usually isn't pre-roasted, roast it before it meets water or milk. Break the strands into finger-length pieces, add a teaspoon of ghee to a kadhai on medium heat, and stir until the shevai turns an even golden colour and smells toasty. Millet shevai won't change colour as visibly, so go by smell. Roasting is what stops the strands from going sticky and clumping. Take it off the heat and tip it onto a plate straight away, because it keeps browning in a hot pan.
Shevai upma
Make a normal upma tadka (mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chilli, onion, a handful of peas or carrot), add the roasted shevai, pour in hot water to just cover it, add salt, then cover and cook on low until the water is absorbed. Don't stir it much while it cooks. Fluff it with a fork at the end, and add lemon and coriander. Rava shevai gives the most separate strands. Millet shevai cooks faster, so start checking a couple of minutes earlier.
Shevayachi kheer
Simmer roasted shevai in milk until soft, then sweeten. Sugar is usual. If you'd rather use gul, take the pan off the heat and let it cool slightly before stirring it in, because jaggery added to boiling milk can make it split. Our guide to deshi gul explains which format dissolves easiest. Finish with cardamom and a few nuts. Shevai keeps absorbing milk as it stands, so make the kheer slightly thinner than you want to serve it. The same roasted-shevai-in-milk method is the base of sheer khurma at Eid.
Storing shevai
Dry shevai keeps for months, but only if it stays dry. Move it from the delivery pouch into an airtight steel or glass container on the day it arrives, and keep it away from the stove and the sink. Two things to watch for:
- Insects in grain-based foods. Shevai is flour, so it's vulnerable to the same pantry pests as atta. If you buy a 1 kg pack and use it slowly, keep it fully sealed, or put half in the fridge.
- A stale or sour smell. Millet shevai, like millet flour, goes off faster than wheat. Buy it in smaller packs.
Shevai that has picked up a little moisture can be dried out in sunlight for a few minutes, the same trick that works for papad. Our papad guide has more on keeping sun-dried foods crisp through a humid season.
Frequently asked questions
What is shevai in English?
Vermicelli. Shevai, shevaya and shewaya are Marathi names; sevai, seviyan and semiya are the same thing in other Indian languages.
What's the difference between rava shevai and wheat shevai?
Rava shevai is made from semolina, the coarse, granular part of milled wheat. It's paler and holds its shape better, which suits upma. Wheat (gahu) shevai is made from wheat flour and cooks slightly softer. Both come from wheat, and most recipes work with either.
Is millet shevai gluten-free?
Not necessarily. Many millet shevai are blended with wheat flour or semolina so the strands hold together. Read the ingredient list on the pack, and if you need to avoid gluten for a medical reason, ask your doctor or dietitian and confirm the ingredients with us before ordering.
Can I eat shevai during Navratri upvas?
In most Maharashtrian households, no. Wheat, rava and maida shevai aren't fasting food, and neither are the common millet shevai. For upvas, people cook bhagar, sabudana and rajgira instead. Our Navratri upvas shopping guide covers what to stock. Family customs do differ, so go by yours.
Do I need to roast shevai before making kheer?
For SHG shevai, yes. It's usually sold unroasted, and roasting in a little ghee first gives a nuttier taste and keeps the strands from clumping in the milk.
What is hat shevai?
Hand-made shevai: the strands are worked by hand rather than pressed through a machine die. It takes much longer to make, which is why it costs more per kilo than machine-pressed shevai.
In short
Buy plain rava or wheat shevai by the kilo for everyday upma and kheer, and roast it before cooking. Try millet, vegetable and flavoured shevai in small packs, and read the label for what's in the dough. The full range is in UmedMart's shevai collection. All of it is made by women's Self-Help Groups across Maharashtra.
Related reading: Jwari, Bajri, Nachni, Vari, Maharashtra's millet names decoded · Udid, Rice, Wheat, Ragi or Potato?, the papad on the same shelf · What "natural" and "chemical-free" actually mean on an SHG label.
Prices and availability checked on UmedMart on 1 October 2026 and can change.
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