There are several types of sivaiyyan made across the country.
Different regions, different variants.
Lucknow has a very specific one to offer – Qiwami Sevviyan, the orangish-red, semi dry ones made with qiwam (sugar syrup) and khoya as main ingredients. While sheer khurma is an absolute favorite with one and all during Eid, these ‘dry’ sevviyan stand out with its heavenly fragrance and taste.
Here is the complete recipe. Try to follow it to the T as any disproportion of ingredients may lead to major compromise in taste!
Before I begin, I must tell you that this recipe requires absolutely bareek vermicelli or sivaiyyan. No packet-wali sivaiyyan available at grocery stores would do. They have to be thin as a thread. You can get them around the time of Eid by the name of ‘banarsi’ or ‘lucknowi’ sivaiyyan.
Ingredients
- Khoya – 250 gms
- Bareek sivaiyyan – ½ kg
- Milk – ½ ltr
- Sugar – 1 kg
- Green cardamom whole – 8-10
- Cloves – 8-10
- Powder of 15 cardamoms
- Saffron – Few strands soaked in milk
- Desi ghee or refined oil – 2 tea cups
- Almonds, soaked & slivered – 25-30
- Cashew nuts – soaked & slivered – 25-30
- Orange food color – 1/4 tea spoon
Method
- Crush sivaiyyan and dry roast for 10 minutes on medium flame. Remove and keep aside.
- Take sugar in a thick bottom pan and add 2 glasses of water. Add food color Bring it to boil and loser the flame.
- Boil milk in a separate pan. Keep in hot on a low flame.
- Hand crumble or grate khoya and keep aside.
- Mix 7-8 drops of kewra in half a cup of water.
- Heat oil in a LARGE, heavy bottomed pateela
- Crackle cardamom and cloves
- Add dry roasted sevvaiyan and roast for another 5 minutes in oil.
- Take off the vessel from heat and add boiling milk to it, while constantly mixing it simultaneously
- Now add sugar syrup (chashni or qiwam) to it. Keep mixing.
- Then add khoya.
- Add kewra water sprinkling all over.
- Add almonds and keshewnuts. Save some for garnishing.
- Once it gets little cool, add cardamom powder.
GUD Tips
- These sivaiyyan taste best when kept refrigerated for 1-2 days.
- Make them in advance, if you have to serve them on a particular day.
- They don’t go bad for a week at least, when kept in the fridge.