My Favourite Sweet Toasted Vermicelli for Ramadan

Um Safia's Note:

I do have another recipe for Seviyan posted, but that is a creamier more dessert like dish. I prefer this one as it is not as sweet & is brilliant for Suhor (the meal before dawn). Seviyan is the name of the toasted vermicelli used to make sweets aswell as savoury dishes in countries such as Pakistan & India. It is eaten throughout the year but comes into it's own during Ramadan. You can buy Seviyan / toasted vermicelli at most Asian stores & you can find it in the international isle of the larger supermarkets. Otherwise you can toast your own fine vermicelli in the oven! The fruit & nuts I refer to is the tropical dried fruit & nut mix you buy which typically has coconut, papaya, pineapple, banana, raisins & peanuts. If you don't want to use this then you can use slivered almonds & roughly chopped pistachios instead.

• Total Time: 37 mins
• Prep Time: 2 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 200 g toasted vermicelli (Seviyan)
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup pre packaged mixed nuts and dried fruit
• 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 2 tablespoons rose water
• 1 tablespoon ghee
• 1 pinch saffron

Directions:

1. Break the vermicelli in half. Place the ghee, rose water, sugar, cardamom & saffron in a large pan. Heat through gently then add the vermicelli.
2. Mix very well to coat thoroughly & to break up a little. Cook on as low heat as possible for approx 25-30 minutes or until the vermicelli is glossy & has absorbed everything.
3. At this point, stir in the mixed fruit & nuts. Serve.

Reviews

[UmmBinat]

I must rerate. As I thought upon not adding additional liquid to the vermicelli (rice based) which I found in the Asian section of a supermarket but which I had to toast myself under a broiler, the seviyan never became soft. So I kept adding rose water (Iranian is of best quality) and eventually had to add regular water until it was a soft texture, and I did wait the 30 minutes. It was a nice flavour but if I make this again I will precook the vermicelli in boiling water for a couple minutes before adding it to the rose water - butter mixture which I had tried before and which worked fine. I use slivered almonds, roughly chopped pistachios and yellow and black raisins. I also made another version with yellow raisins and orange flower water and even though I adore orange flower water in sweets I did prefer the rose water version here.