Semiya Bagala Bath: An Easy And Comforting Dish For Summer

I am sharing one such story that happened a long time ago. My neighbour’s daughter Sanjana joined a computer firm in Auroville to gain work experience. I treated her like my own daughter and used to observe her. Her moods used to change from ecstatic to low and I understood this from the music played at her house.

From old Hindi love songs to Cliff Richard’s numbers, she started playing melodies. Her mother also started complaining about Sanjana’s forgetfulness and lack of appetite.

One day, Sanjana decided to confide in me and invited me to the terrace. I listened to her story — she was in love with her colleague who was not only handsome but also a fabulous singer and dancer. To me, romance and food have eternal bonding and I decided to help her win his heart. My suggestion was that I cook different dishes each day and she would offer it to him as her own creation. She did not even know how to boil tea! Her mother, Mahalakshmi, started wondering why her daughter started carrying a tiffin carrier full of food instead of the usual sandwiches to work.

So, every day, we went through a gamut of dishes. It’s true that food served with love and taste can bring back memories of grandmother’s and mother’s cooking.

The dish that melted Brijesh’s heart was semiya/vermicelli bagala bath. Sanjana came back happy saying that Brijesh proposed her. I was happy that a simple dish like semiya bagala bath can won a heart. Semiya bagala bath was served at their wedding and after 19 years of marriage, they still cherish the dish. Now, Sanjana is an expert cook and whenever she feels nostalgic, she cooks semiya bagala bath for her family.

The importance of curd dates back to pre-historic times. The Rigveda specially mentions a curd dish. Semiya and curd combination became a delicacy once the Arab traders introduced vermicelli to Indian traders. Influenced by various cultures, a whole host of dishes sprang up and semiya thayir sadam was the creation of an innovative cook during the late 18th century. Today, I am sharing the recipe of semiya bagala bath, an ideal dish for summer.