Qawami Seviyan, Sugar-laced Sweet Vermicelli

 Eid is a time of celebration - not just the celebration of fasting for one month, but the celebration of food, family and togetherness. It is a time for rejoicing our religion and culture. What is so interesting about Ramazan and Eid is the fact that the festivities and food are so different in different Muslim countries. This goes to show that its such a celebration of ones identity and culture. In Pakistan every family has a version of Seviyan, sweet vermicelli cooked in sugar and milk, during Eid. You will find that nearly every family has their own version and special family recipes, but one thing is certain, it'll always be seriously sweet and decadent!This version is one that has been in my Dad's family for generations, it's called Qawami Seviyan - historically it goes back to the time of the Mughals, the Nawabs of Lucknow and the general rich area of Uttar Pardesh that my father's family comes from. When they migrated to Pakistan, this was one recipe that carried through with them - My grandmother taught all five of my aunts, including all her daughter-in-laws, which means my mother inherited this too. I think my Dadi (dad's mom) will be proud today knowing that I am carrying on this tradition of making Qawami Seviyan on Eid, which is when it was ALWAYS made. My mother still has my Dadi's handwritten recipe which I will scan and publish when I can get my hands on it! My Dadi mentioned that in her household the traditional recipe called for 1 part seviyan to 16 parts sugar and then it was eaten with 'malai' - fresh buffolo's milk cream! This was meant to balance the extreme sweetness of the dish! - They obviously didn't know about calories and heart disease then!! Dadi mentioned that this recipe has now been altered and she used to use 1 part sev to 3-4 parts sugar - though my mother uses 1 part seviyan and 2 parts sugar - you can see what works for you.Decadent or not, this to me is the essence of Eid festivities, family Eid lunches and I remember well how we would all enjoy a bowl of this with some cream pour to dilute the seviyan - with pretty delicate henna desgins on my hands, gorgeous colourful glass bangles and a stunning new outfit on - Eid is all about enjoying a fresh new start of the year.(NOTE: Most seviyan are milky and ready to eat as prepared. However, this version (and you will understand from the proportions of sugar used!) is more like, say as cereal crossed with a halva... what I mean is that once it is ready, you scoop a big dollop of in your bowl and add some cold or warm milk or cream to dilute it and then eat. This means that not only does this seviyan last longer than the usual versions but its also up to you how thick or thinned out you would like to eat it.)Stunning Eid cards provided by Ananya Cards buy their greeting cards at http://www.ananyacards.com/ 1 cup of broken dry seviyan (vermicelli)3 cups of caster sugarEnough ghee for frying and bhaghar (tempering) the spices and seviyanAbout a litre of milk at hand, you will probably needs 2-3 cups1/4 a cup of slivered almonds1/4 cup of slivered pistachios1/4 cup of sultanas2-5 cardamom2-5 clovesA pinch of saffronsliver leaf or rose petals for decoration if desired - I also top the seviyan with khoyaMilk - warm or cold OR cream to serveMETHOD:1. Begin by tempering the cardamon and cloves in ghee and then once the aroma develops fry the seviyan in the tempered ghee in a saucepan on medium heat. To ensure that the seviyan do not burn keep stirring until the seviyan turn a medium brown colour. You might have to keep moving the pan of the heat and stirring to make sure they don't burn.2. In another pan make a simple sugar syrup to a consistency where a single stream runs when you lift it with a spoon - 'Eek taar' or 1 steam consistency .3. Add fried seviyan to the sugar syrup and mix.4. Now add milk until the whole mixture is combined and thick. This has to be done by 'andaza' - estimation. I usually use 2-3 cups of milk, but you will need to try it yourself. You need to now keep this on low heat and cover until the milk is absorbed and the seviyan are cooked completely. This is where issues can start and at the bottom you will find a troubleshooting heading - please see below should you find that a)either the mixture is not cooked or b) the addition of milk leads to curdling. If you have no issues, then add saffron which has been soaked in hot milk for about 20 mins, to the seviyan.5. Finish off the seviyan by pouring into a serving bowl and allowing to cool. Sprinkle with nuts and sultanas and decorate with silver leaf and/or rose petals. Refrigerate or leave outside until ready to serve.6. Serve with fresh ice cold or warm milk or creamSTORAGE LIFE:Qawami seviyan can last in a freezer for months. Equally it can last pretty long in the fridge or even outside, covered. The sugar is a preservative and hence it does last pretty long!By the way this is great for breakfast!TROUBLESHOOTING:a) Milk has absorbed but seviyan are still raw: I would add a bit more milk, then put the pan on an extremely low heat and cover and allow to cook within it's steam - which is called 'dam'. Cook for about 30 mins, this should do it.b) If milk curdles when added to seviyan: This might look wrong but it actually helps in cooking to seviyan faster as well is it's not going to taste bad. The water let out of the milk actually will allow the seviyan to cook well. Cook on low heat, slightly uncovered.Enjoy, I promise you it's worth it! People will love this version!