Festive Parsi breakfasts: Ravo and Sev Dahi

With the Parsi community celebrating their Pateti and New Year over this weekend, Coomi Selod provides two popular traditional recipes for a special breakfast.

Ravo (a sweet semolina pudding)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup thick rava (semolina)
• 1/2 cup ghee
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups milk
• Almonds, pistachios, cashews and raisins
• 3-4 drops vanilla essence

Method:

• Wash and blanch the almonds, pistachios and cashews; remove skin and cut into slivers.
• Soak washed raisins in water till they swell. Remove stalks, if any.
• Roast the rava in the ghee.
• Add sugar and blend by stirring.  Take off the flame and let it cool.
• In a bowl beat eggs. and pour in cool milk.
• When rava has cooled, slowly blend the milk mixture into it.
• On a low flame, keep stirring slowly till it thickens and leaves the sides of the vessel.
• Add vanilla essence and stir in, then add raisins and dried fruit (leave some fruit for garnishing).
• If the rava is still raw, add more milk and continue stirring till thick and cooked.
• Serve warm, in small bowls and sprinkle dried fruit on top.

And for those who prefer an eggless version:

Ingredients:

• 1 litre milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp rava (semolina)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp rose essence or 1 tbsp rose water
• 1 tbsp blanched and sliced almonds
• 1 tbsp raisins
• Some rose petals
• 1 tsp nutmeg, grated
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 4 cardamom pods powdered (remove the skins)

Method:

• Fry nuts and raisins in a little butter.
• Boil milk, sugar and semolina, and stir on a low flame for 20 minutes.
• Mix in butter and nuts (not raisins), reserving a few for garnishing.
• Remove from fire and add essences and raisins.
• Pour into several small glass bowls or just one big bowl while piping hot.
• Sprinkle nutmeg and cardamom powder on top.
• Garnish with remaining nuts and rose petals.
• Can be served hot or icy cold.

Sev Dahi (fried vermicelli and sweet curd)

Ingredients:

• 200 gm sev/fine vermicelli (Elephant brand is a good choice)
• 6 tbsp melted butter/ghee
• 6 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp rose water
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 tbsp chironji nuts
• 1 tbsp almonds, blanched and sliced
• 1 1/2 tsp powdered cardamom
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1 tbsp raisins soaked in water

Method:

• Break vermicelli into approximately one-inch pieces.
• Heat butter. Fry vermicelli till golden brown (do not brown too much).
• Add the sugar to 1 1/2 cups of water.  Add to the vermicelli, cover pan and lower flame.
• After 5 minutes, uncover and check if sev is cooked with a fork -- do not stir or it will become mushy. If undone, replace lid and simmer gently for five minutes more. Then remove from flame.
• Sprinkle with nutmeg, essences and nuts.
• Serve hot for breakfast with sweet curd or hard-boiled eggs on special occasions.