Parsi · Indian Cuisine

Parsi Sev

Name: Parsi Sev
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 125 g fine vermicelli (*seviyan*); 2 tbsp unsalted butter, plus a dash of neutral oil; 120 g sugar; 50 ml water; 50 ml full-fat milk; 70 ml single cream; 10 ml rose water; 30 g almonds, slivered; 30 g sultanas; 1 g green cardamom, ground (about ¼ teaspoon); 1 g nutmeg, ground (a small pinch)

A sweet Parsi vermicelli dessert with rose water, cardamom, cream, and sultanas

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Parsi sev is a celebration dessert, made for Navroze (Parsi New Year), weddings, and auspicious occasions. Unlike the crispy savoury sev used in chaat, this is fine vermicelli, fried briefly in butter until pale golden, then cooked in a syrup of sugar, milk, and water until all liquid is absorbed. Cream and rose water go in at the very end, transforming the dish from a simple sweetened vermicelli to something perfumed and luxurious. Slivered almonds and sultanas add texture and richness.

At a Glance

Yield

Serves 4

Prep

5 minutes

Cook

20 minutes

Total

25 minutes

Difficulty

Easy

Ingredients

Serves 4

4½ ozfine vermicelli (*seviyan*)
2 tbspunsalted butter, plus a dash of neutral oil
⅔ cupsugar
1¾ fl ozwater
1¾ fl ozfull-fat milk
¼ cupsingle cream
¾ tbsprose water
1 ozalmonds, slivered
1 ozsultanas
¼ ozgreen cardamom, ground (about ¼ teaspoon)
½ tspnutmeg, ground (a small pinch)

Method

1
Fry the vermicelli (125 g). Melt the butter (30 g) with a dash of oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the vermicelli and stir constantly for 3–4 minutes until pale golden but not dark. It should smell nutty and look lightly toasted. Set aside.
2
Make the syrup. In the same pan, combine the sugar (120 g), water (50 ml), and milk. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
3
Cook the vermicelli. Add the fried vermicelli to the syrup. Simmer over low heat, stirring gently, until all the liquid is absorbed, about 8–10 minutes. The vermicelli should be cooked through and slightly sticky.
4
Finish. Add the cream (70 ml) and rose water (10 ml). Stir gently and heat for 2 minutes. The mixture should be moist and fragrant. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with the ground cardamom (¼ teaspoon) and nutmeg (1 g), and scatter the almonds (30 g) and sultanas (30 g) over the top.
5
Serve warm.