Bambino Roasted & Unroasted Vermicelli Review

Vermicelli is known by many names around the world. Vermicelli is a type of pasta in Italy made with flour. They are thin noodles made from rice flour in some Asian countries. In India, they are made with semolina and synonymous with sewai or semiya.

For our Bambino Vermicelli review we cooked two basic recipes to test them – a sweetened sewai and a salted vermicelli pulao. This helped us test the vermicelli brand for its texture, cooking abilities and to check if its sticking or not.

Here is our full review process.

Here is all that you need to know about Bambino vermicelli, its variants, ingredients, price range and available sizes.

1. Available Variants

Bambino vermicelli is available in two variants – 

• Plain vermicelli (which is unroasted)
• Roasted vermicelli

2. Available Sizes

There are four sizes available, as per their website –

• 100 gms
• 250 gms
• 500 gms
• 1 kg

We bought a 200 gm pack of both roasted and unroasted vermicelli from the local grocery store. When we checked online a 400 gm was also available.

3. Ingredients

Bambino vermicelli is made using a single ingredient – Hard wheat semolina. There is no maida.

4. Price Range

A 200 gm pack of unroasted vermicelli is priced at Rs 20/-.

A 200 gm pack of roasted vermicelli is priced at Rs 25/-.

5. Shelf Life

Both the variants of Bambino Vermicelli have a shelf life of 24 months from the date of manufacturing.

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Vermicelli can be used in various ways in Indian kitchens. The most widely used recipes are milk based vermicelli called sevai, sewai, semiya or seviyan kheer/payasam. Other popular recipes include Kimami sewai (sookhi meethi seviyan) and the namkeen seviyan or better known as vermicelli pulao or vermicelli upma. We used one sweet and one salty recipe to test the variants of Bambino Vermicelli.

Our review factors include – 

1. Taste

Semolina is made using hard wheat. Unlike regular wheat this has a slightly earthy flavor. Bambino’s vermicelli is made using hard wheat semolina and we wanted to gauge if the roasted variant has that slightly nutty, earthy flavor or not. 

2. Texture

During our cooking stage, we wanted to check if these become sticky after cooking. Do the vermicelli retain their signature bite or does the texture become too gloopy? Are the strands of vermicelli separate and khila-khila?

3. Cooking Ability

How easy is it to cook these? Do they take a lot of time to cook or are they quick-cooking? Were both the variants able to take on the flavor of the seasoning?

4. Price

Does the quality of the product justify the price? If not, why?

Here is a table comparing both variants of Bambino Vermicelli for their price, shelf life and uses.

1. Roasted Vermicelli

Bambino’s roasted vermicelli has a toasty brown color. To test roasted vermicelli we made sevai kheer. Our steps are as follows – 

• We took 1 teaspoon of ghee in a pan and added the vermicelli (100 gms) and mixed it well. We only roasted this for about 30 seconds.
• Next we added 800 ml of toned milk and let it cook till the vermicelli was half done.
• Then we added 60 gms of sugar, crushed cardamom seeds from 2 pods and 6-7 chopped almonds. 

The thing about roasted vermicelli is that it saves a lot of time when you’re cooking. It eliminates the constant stirring and extra time you spend on toasting and roasting the vermicelli.

Features

• The price of 200 gms of roasted vermicelli is Rs 25/-.
• Shelf life – 24 months
• Ingredients – Hard wheat semolina
• Store in a cool, dry and hygienic place.
• Allergen – Contains gluten
• The vermicelli is ‘untouched by hand’ as per information on the pack.

Pros

• The vermicelli doesn’t become sticky or gloopy. No lumps were seen in the kheer.
• The vermicelli cooked evenly.
• It retains its bite.
• The roasted vermicelli has a nice toasty flavor.
• It is quick to cook and doesn’t take too long. 

Best Suited For

People who are in a time crunch or need a pre-roasted option for vermicelli can pick this variant. It cooks quickly and retains its bite. 

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2. Unroasted or Plain Vermicelli

The vermicelli has a light brown color. To test the plain vermicelli by Bambino, we turned it into a pulao. The recipe we followed was given at the back of the pack – 

• In a pan take a teaspoon of ghee and saute the vermicelli. 
• In another pan bring water to a boil and add the vermicelli. Drain and rinse with cold water.
• In another pan we added oil, mustard seeds, cinnamon, ginger garlic paste. Saute.
• Now we added chopped onions, tomatoes and the steamed veggies (carrots, beans, potatoes, cauliflower, peas). Saute and add seasoning like turmeric, salt and garam masala or biryani masala. 
• Add the cooked vermicelli and toss well.

The texture of the pulao should be non-sticky and not lumpy at all. When we make the pulao/biryani as per the recipe on the pack, the water to vermicelli ratio is perfect. Roasting the vermicelli in some form of fat ensures that the pulao doesn’t become sticky.

Features

• The price of 200 gms of plain Bambino vermicelli is Rs 20/-.
• The shelf life, ingredients, storage instructions and allergen advice is the same as the roasted variant.

Pros

• All the strands are separated and non-sticky. Our bowl of vermicelli pulao was not lumpy at all.
• The vermicelli cooks evenly.

Cons

• This takes a little extra time as compared to the roasted vermicelli f you’re using it to make sweet dishes. 

Bambino’s Vermicelli is available in two variants – classic and roasted. We tried both using two popular vermicelli based recipes – pulao and kheer.

The classic variant needs some amount of roasting before you cook kheer or meethi sewai, while the roasted one saves a lot of time. The classic variant is best suited for pulao and upma as the level of roasting can be adjusted. The roasted vermicelli is best used to make sweet dishes like meethi sewai or kheer.

Which is your favorite recipe to consume vermicelli? Let us know in the comment section below.

Here are some interesting FAQs on the Bambino Vermicelli review.

1. What’s the difference between roasted and unroasted Bambino vermicelli?

Both the variants are made using the same ingredients and there is no difference in that aspect. The difference lies in the fact that one is roasted before packaging and one is not.

2. What is Bambino vermicelli made of?

Bambino vermicelli is made using hard wheat semolina. 

3. Does this  vermicelli have Maida?

No. Bambino vermicelli is made using 100% suji. No maida here!

4. What recipes can I make with this vermicelli?

Vermicelli is an extremely versatile ingredient in your pantry. Be it a quick breakfast, festivities or an evening snack, you can make the following with it – 

• Upma
• Pulao
• Kheer
• Meethi sewai
• Chinese style vermicelli
• Cutlets can be coated with vermicelli before deep frying

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* No part of this review is sponsored by any brand. All expenses were borne by us.