One of the most delightful desserts from North Indian kitchen is Sevian (pronounced - say-vi-yaa) Here fine vermicelli is lightly sauteed in ghee and then stewed in
sweetened milk with almonds, golden raisins, & cardamom. Finally garnished with pistachio slivers.
Growing up, I have seen my Mum make this dessert so often sometimes for dinner parties and sometimes just to satisfy that sweet tooth. I have always taken this for granted and have never bothered making notes or observing how Mum was fixing it. All I remember was relishing bowls and bowls of this heavenly nectar.
So when the morning of the Foodbuzz 24,24,24 dinner party rolls in, you can read all about that splendid evening here and I have done nothing for this dish with the exception of stocking the groceries, I jump off the couch, coffee in one hand , paper & pencil in the other and begin frantically dialing my parent's at home.
Fortunately Mum picks up and I explain my predicament. After a short spiel on how I really must stop doing everything at the last minute, she reveals not only her recipe but more importantly the critical points to watch out for in the cooking process. Because its the little stuff that will get you every time!
Fortunately, this one's easy to fix with spectacular results. There are a couple of additions I have made to Mum's recipe, adding a can of evaporated milk to speed things up & a tsp of rose water. Other than that, here's Mum's Sevian -
The main ingredients required are -
Fine brown wheat vermicelli (available in Indo-Pak stores), milk, evaporated milk, whole cloves, sugar, cashew halves (optional), sliced almonds, golden raisins, rose water & sliced pistachios for garnish.
Cook's Note - Do not use the vermicelli sold under the pasta section of regular grocery store. This warrants very fine wheat vermicelli that is a rich brown available at Indo-Pak stores.
Prepare the ingredients -
Sevian - If your sevian is in 11-12" long lengths, with a pair of kitchen shears cut into 4 equal parts. Set aside
Almonds - In a saute pan, heat ghee till hot but not fuming. Add almonds and stir constantly for about 2 minutes until it is golden brown. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
Cashews halves (if using) - In a saute pan, heat ghee till hot but not fuming. Add almonds and stir constantly for about 2 minutes until it is golden brown. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
In a heavy bottom saute pan, on low heat, heat the ghee till hot but not fuming. Add the cloves. As soon as they swell up, add the vermicelli.
Saute for 2-3 minutes until the vermicelli is a golden
brown. There will be a distinct glistening on the vermicelli & it
will release a scent. Stir constantly during this process. Watch for strands vermicelli turning brown quicker than others.
Add
all the milk including the can of evaporated milk. Increase heat to medium & bring to simmer.
Lower heat and stir regularly for about 15-20 minutes. The vermicelli will have expanded and the milk should show signs of slight thickening.
Cook's Note - It is very important to be at hand and stir. If the milk sticks to the bottom of pan as it thickens, it will give out a burnt milk smell and the entire will have to discarded.
Add the sugar, almonds, cashew haves if using & cardamom powder. Stir.
Taste and adjust seasonings. Simmer for 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.
Refrigerate once cooled if using the next day. If serving the same day, just before serving warm the Sevian.Add rose water and stir.
Cook's Note - As the Sevian sits it will thicken. So you may add as much as 1/2-1 cup of milk to thin but only do so once warmed. Also once again taste and adjust the sugar if needed.
Some families like their sevian thick & others like it thin. In ours we like it thin. I do not recommend serving your Sevian very thick like a cream of wheat consistency. It should be thinner than a thick soup.
Remove the Sevian to a decorative serving bowl and garnish with pistachio slivers and decorate with rose petals if desired.
Serve warm or hot in individual serving bowls.
One bite into the creamy rich texture of the vermicelli with the milk and dry fruits and it has us swooning.
The milk is infused with flavor from the cardamom and the little crunch from the almonds and cashews is a lovely contrast to the smooth silkiness of the vermicelli. I especially loved the pistachios and the hint of rose water in it.
I hope you make this when you have your next 'Indian nite'. I think you'll enjoy it as much as we did.
Recipe for
Sevian - A Vermicelli Dessert from Northern India
Preparation time - 10 minutes
Cooking time - 20 minutes
Shopping list
3.5 oz/100 gms Sevian or thin Vermicelli (brown)
1 # 12 oz can evaporated milk
6 cups milk ( plus extra to thin once cooled)
1/2 cup sugar
2 whole cloves
1-1/4 tsp powdered cardamom
1-1/2 tsp ghee
3 tbs sliced almonds
1/2 tsp ghee to saute almonds
2 tbs shelled pistachio nuts, for garnish
1 tsp Rosewater (optional)
Preparation
Sevian - If your sevian is in 11-12" long lengths, with a pair of kitchen shears cut into 4 equal parts. Set aside.
Cashews halves (if using) - In a saute pan, heat ghee till hot but not fuming. Add almonds and stir constantly for about 2 minutes until it is golden brown. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
Almonds - In a saute pan, heat ghee till hot but not fuming. Add almonds and stir constantly for about 2 minutes until it is golden brown. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
Cooking Method
In a heavy bottom saute pan, on low heat, heat the ghee till hot but not fuming. Add the cloves. As soon as they swell up, add the vermicelli.
Saute for 2-3 minutes until the vermicelli is a golden brown. There will be a distinct glistening on the vermicelli & it will release a scent. Stir constantly during this process. Watch for strands vermicelli turning brown quicker than others.
Add all the milk. Increase heat to medium & bring to simmer.
Lower heat immediately and stir regularly for about 20 minutes. The vermicelli will have expanded and the milk should show signs of slight thickening.
Cook's Note - It is very important to be at hand and stir. If the milk sticks to the bottom of pan as it thickens, it will give out a burnt milk smell and the entire will have to discarded.
Add the sugar, almonds & cardamom powder. Stir.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
Simmer for 2-3 minutes and remove from heat. Add rose water and stir.
Cook's Note - As the Sevian sits it will thicken. So you may add as much as 1/2-1 cup of milk to thin but only do so once warmed. Also once again taste and adjust the sugar if needed.
Some families like their sevian thick & others like it thin. In ours we like it thin. I do not recommend serving your Sevian thick like a cream of wheat consistency. It should be thinner than a thick soup.
Garnish with sliced pistachios. Serve warm or hot.
Enjoy!
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