It’s the month of Ramadan and you’re away from home, missing all the celebrations and the mouth-watering food. We get it! It’s just plain horrible to be alone on holidays and not get to be a part of all the festivities.
Just in case you’re feeling homesick, you might want to tickle your sweet tooth because we bring you the Ramadan special sewai recipe that is absolutely easy-peasy to pull off when you’re living alone. This also means that you get to eat the whole sewai yourself. How’s that for Ramadan celebration, Y'all?
You can make your sewai two ways – with or without milk.
Method 1: Sewai with Milk (Sheerkhurma)
For those of you who like your sewai drowned in milk, this is your go-to recipe.
Things you’ll need:
- Milk – 4 cups
- Water – 2 cups
- Vermicelli (sewai) – 1/2 cup
- Sugar – ½ cup or as per your taste
- Clarified butter (Ghee) – 3 tablespoons
- Green cardamom (Elaichi), crushed – 10
- Cloves (Laung) – 5
- Nuts and dried fruits of your choice (for garnishing)
Step 1. Boil milk in a pan and transfer it to a bowl with spout
- Pour 4 cups of milk into a pan and boil it on medium heat until it turns pinkish red. This will take 2 to 3 hours.
- Once done, transfer the boiled milk into a container with an easy-pour spout.
Step 2. Heat the clarified butter and spices in a frying pan
- Heat 3 tablespoons of clarified butter (ghee) in a frying pan on medium heat.
- Once the clarified butter is hot enough, crush 10 green cardamoms and put them in the pan.
- Put 5 cloves in the pan and sauté all the ingredients together.
Step 3. Add water and sugar & bring it to boil
- Gradually pour 2 cups of water into the frying pan.
- Add ½ cup of white sugar to it. You can increase or decrease the amount as per your preference.
- Using a wooden spoon, swirl the sugar so that it dissolves in the water.
- Bring the mixture to a boil on medium high, then turn off the heat.
Step 4. Add vermicelli to the pan & cover it
- Add 1/2 cup of vermicelli (sewai) to the sugar syrup and press it down using a spatula so that the vermicelli becomes wet.
- Cover the pan.
Step 5. Mix the sewai and boiled milk in a bowl & enjoy it
- Uncover the vermicelli and put 1 serving of it into a bowl.
- Pour boiled milk into the bowl and mix it well.
- Almonds, cashews, and raisins are the best ingredients to garnish your milk sewai. Or you can use dried fruits of your choice.
- Refrigerate the leftover sewai so that it doesn’t go bad.
This recipe makes 2 servings. You can increase the quantities in the same ratio to make more.
Method 2: Sewai without Milk (Kimami)
For people who don’t prefer milk, this recipe is the one for you.
Things you’ll need:
- Vermicelli (sewai) – 1/2 cup
- Thickened milk (Khoya) – 1/2 cup
- Sugar – ¾ cup
- Water – 4 cups
- Almonds, crushed - 3 to 5
- Cashews, crushed - 2 to 3
Step 1. Roast vermicelli on low heat
- Break 1/2 cup of vermicelli into smaller strands.
- Dry roast it on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring it the whole time.
- Switch off the heat when the vermicelli turns crispy.
- Set it aside.
Step 2. Fry the thickened milk (khoya) on low heat
- Put 1/2 cup of thickened milk in a separate pan and cook it until it becomes golden brown.
- Transfer it to a tray.
Step 3. Cook the sugar and water
- Heat the pan on low temperature and pour in 4 cups of water.
- Add ¾ cup of sugar and swirl it around so that it dissolves in the water.
- Let it boil until it turns into a syrup-like consistency.
Step 4. Add vermicelli and khoya & cook it for 5 to 10 minutes
- Add the roasted vermicelli and fried khoya to the sugar syrup.
- Mix them into the syrup and let it cook for another 5 to 10 minutes while constantly stirring.
- Turn off the heat.
Step 5. Garnish and serve it hot
- Garnish the sewai with 3 or 5 crushed almonds and 2 or 3 crushed cashews and serve it hot.
- You can skip the garnishing or change it according to your preference.
This recipe makes 2 servings. You can increase the quantities in the same ratio to make more.
Tips
- Do not roast the sewai longer or less than that the specified time, as it can either burn or not fully cook respectively.
- Take care to use the temperature specified for cooking the sewai in each step.
- Check the quantity of water you use, as you cannot add more water after adding the sewai to the sugar syrup.
- You can add edible rose water or vanilla essence to add flavor to your sewai.
- You can replace the thickened milk or khoya with condensed milk.
- You can always use milk-based sweets if you do not have condensed milk or khoya.
- Make sure you buy vermicelli that is thin, not the thicker one. Do not roast the vermicelli if it is a variety that is already roasted.
- Pistachios can also be used for garnishing the sewai.
- You can also use lactose-free milk if you are lactose intolerant but love sewai.