It’s Eid this week and though it is fairly low key, given that we are just opening up in Ontario after a rigid lockdown, what better time than this to get back in the saddle. I’ve been MIA for a while, as some of you have noticed. A friend in BC dropped a gentle hint a while back, and another from Montreal just wished me for Eid and nudged me about my truancy as well. And so what better way to say hello I’m back, than to share a recipe for a delicious dessert that is made typically on both Eids across oh a huge region, including South and Central Asia, Afghanistan and parts of Iran. In case you wonder, Eid is a Muslim celebration that happens twice ever year, after a month of fasting and after the pilgrimage or Haj. This week it’s the latter, Eid ul Adha.
Having said that, I find that this dessert is lovely with any meal. In Bangladesh we know it as Sewai, or Shemai, after the central ingredient, ultra thin pasta, like angel hair, but with a gross name if you understand Italian — shall I tell you; okay, the pasta are called Vermicelli which means “little worms,” yew, it is right there in the first two syllables — made from wheat or rice flour in European and East Asian cuisines respectively, where Vermicelli feature often in a savoury dish. But not so with Sewai. You dress these thin, nicely roasted strands with cream and milk, or half and half if available, add a generous helping of sugar, and flavour the mix with Saffron, Rose Water and Kewra or Screwpine Water, add a dusting of finely chopped almonds, and what you end up with is a soft, creamy and yet also delicately substantive sweet dish with subtle harmonies between the sweetness and the hint of savoury in the strands.
I’ve got to explain that Sewai can be made in quite a few ways, with dates, assorted nuts, and even raisins or currants. I believe the Persian or Irani influenced variety is called Sheer Khorma and it has dried dates and pistachios. Quite yummy. One of my own favourites is made without dairy, with loads of ghee and sugar, and it’s called Sewai ka Zarda in my family. I will share that version, too, hopefully soon but it is a tricky one to get right. This creamy version that I’m sharing today is super simple and easy to make. It places Vermicelli at the heart of the dish and there aren’t any dates or solid bits floating in it, just a light sprinkling of very finely ground almonds that you add to the mix at the very end.
Decades ago when I was very young and not interested in spending any time in the kitchen, my mother-in-law used to make the most exquisite Sewai on Eid, but regrettably I didn’t learn how to make it from her. In the years that followed, I used to take the easy way out and serve store bought desi dessert. Then, one Eid day not too many years ago, when I was living in Vancouver, my grandson Zain asked if I could make what he described as Noodles in Milk. Noodles in Milk? We were a little baffled. Then the penny dropped, he meant Sewai. We’d gone over to my cousin’s for Eid the year before, and she had made Sewai and bless him, his discerning little palate had remembered. I rang her and not only did she share her recipe, but also, she patiently guided me on the phone, as I called her several times, once in panic because I thought there weren’t enough “noodles,” and I shall tell you now, don’t panic — they look thin and straggly for a bit, but they are just fine, because the cream thickens as it cools, and the Sewai is not runny in the end. Since I’ve moved to Ontario, my daughter-in-law has been following this recipe and according to my grandson she makes a delicious Noodles in Milk! Here’s to my cousin for the recipe, to Zain for a delectable name for this dessert, and to everyone with a sweet tooth: Eid Mubarak!
PS I’ve added Kewra or Screwpine Water to my cousin’s recipe because I love its fragrance. But this dessert works without it too.
SEWAI – ZAIN’S NOODLES IN MILK
Active time: 20 – 30 minutes Total time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 1½ packet 300 grams/about ¾ of a pound roasted Vermicelli*
- 2 litres half and half cream or 1 litre whole milk & 1 litre cream
- 1 ½ cup sugar (or more, to taste!)
- 5 – 6 green cardamom pods, bruised and opened
- ½ tsp Saffron strands soaked (see below)
- 1 ½ tsp Rose Water*
- 2 tsp Kewra Water (Screwpine Water)*
- 3-4 teaspoons very finely chopped almonds
- ¼ cup regular or 2 % milk
* I always use National Foods Vermicelli that’s already roasted. If you can’t get this brand, look for any roasted vermicelli in a South Asian, Afghan or Iranian grocery store. If not roasted, place on a skillet on low heat and roast gently until the strands are crisp and medium brown. Break into pieces afterwards. Rose and Kewra Water are available at most South Asian grocery stores.
- Heat ¼ cup milk. Crush Saffron threads between a piece of foil, and soak in the milk. Cover and store in fridge or cool place overnight or at least 4 hours.
- Break the Vermicelli by hand into roughly 1 inch pieces.
- In a deep pot: pour the half and half cream, add bruised and opened cardamom, seeds and skin, and bring to a boil, slowly, stirring so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
- Add Vermicelli and cook on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes. The heat has to be right –not too hot because then your liquid will evaporate and the dessert may become too thick (if that happens, just add a little heated regular milk) — but not too low either.
- Cook until the Vermicelli become softer and the half and half reduces a little. Test the strands between your fingers; it they squish a little, they are done. If they break, cook some more.
- Start adding the sugar. I usually add a little at a time and taste to make sure it’s the right amount of sugar. So add more or less sugar, to taste. Cook for about 5 – 6 minutes.
- Remove from the stovetop and let it cool for 30 minutes, then fold in the ¼ cup milk with the saffron, add Rose and Kewra Water, and garnish with a dusting of finely chopped almonds.
- Chill well before serving.
Photo Credit
All Photos unless otherwise noted by: Almas Zakiuddin SOME RIGHTS RESERVED
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