These rice vermicelli can be bought from an asian supermarket. They are brown in color. I hail from the state of Sindh and tho i have never been there my parents have brought me up eating some of the typical food. Such is this vermicelli which we call “sayoon” in my dialect sindhi and “sevaiyan” in hindi. This is made with ghee (clarified butter) and flavoured with cardamom and saffron. It is sweet and usually eaten with deep fried potatoes or spicy potatoes. I did not have any nuts to garnish ths with and i feel i should have added more butter to the recipe to get a delicious glaze. If there are any experts in this dish reading this please correct me… its the first time i have made this…I also feel i should have browned the vermicelli a bit more but i was scared it would burn.
I think it was disastrous in appearance not in taste (my husband simply loved it!!!)
So i will guide you through the recipe the way i should have done it ok???
This recipe was given to me on the phone by Manju Harjani of Madrid…thank you soo much Manju…but it did not turn out as it should have and i know exactly why
INGREDIENTS:
1 packet (150 grams) of brown vermicelli
1/2 teaspoon of Nitu Didi ground cardamom
a good pinch of Nitu Didi pure spanish saffron
8 tablespoons of ghee or butter
sugar to taste (you will need quite a bit of sugar)
chopped nuts for garnishing
350 ml of warm water
METHOD
You need a good thick bottomed pan to make this. You break the vermicilli with your hands into small bits. Thats to make eating it easier (this is not spaghetti!). Heat the butter in the pan and add the broken up vermicilli and brown it. This is where i went wrong. I should have browned it a lot more (when you add the water the vermicilli gets lighter in color) I got scared it would burn and did not brown it enough (browning does not enhance the taste, it just enhances the appearance of the dish) You have to keep on stirring it so it gets browned evenly ( see my pic…its not browned enough). When its nice and brown add the water. Add the saffron and the cardamom and cover the pan and leave it on low heat. The water should be absorbed in 10 minutes and the vermicilli should be cooked. If its still raw you can add some more water. Take it off the heat and let it rest for a few minutes. Add sugar to taste ( it needs a lot of sugar, there also i went wrong…did not add enough sugar). If its a bit dry (as in my pic) please add some more melted butter. I did not…i prefered to eat it dry. Too much calories. Garnish with chopped nuts. Serve hot with either fried potatoes ( typical sindhi style) or some spiced potatoes or any curry of your choice.
Enjoy!!
Here is how i ate it…with spiced potatoes in fenugreek (methi patata) yummy in my tummy!!
To buy Nitu Didi pure spanish saffron visit her online store
nitu didi 