The image below is an ancient kitchen tool called शेवारा…
Parbhi style shev is somewhat like a South Indian Idiappam…
This is served like a dessert… Accompanied with a dipping liquid (sweetened coconut milk aka doodh or shire)!
The dish is prepared in many PP households at a Shravani Somvaar and is a part of the ceremonial meal held in the honour of a pregnant lady when she reaches her final trimester…
Here goes the ultra simple recipe… Of course this is my version which is a contemporary adaptation of my mom’s age old recipe.
For the rice – vermicelli
Modakpithi (fragrant rice flour – basmati or ambemohar) – 1 cup
Water – 1 cup
Salt – 1/4 tsp
Sugar – 1/2 tsp
Ghee – 1 tbsp
For the doodh
Coconut Milk / Cream (fresh or out of a can) – 1 cup
Condensed Milk – 2 tbsp
Powdered Cashewnuts – 2 tbsp
Saffron – 1 healthy pinch
Cardamom and nutmeg (powdered) – a pinch each
Method
For the dipping liquid (doodh) –
Whisk all the ingredients together till combined and simmer gently till it thickens slightly to a reduced milk like texture.
Set aside and cool completely.
For the shev –
Bring the water to a boil with the salt, sugar and ghee.
Add the rice flour to the boiling water and quickly mix together.
Whisk this together quickly so that there are no lumpy bits left behind.
Cover this and cook on a low flame for a couple of minutes.
Once it cools slightly, knead well till it comes together to a smooth dough.
Divide into small portions and dip into boiling water for a 2-3 minutes… I’ve added a couple of turmeric leaves to the boiling water for that lovely aroma…
Drain out and set aside till they lose all excess moisture and steam…
All you gotta do next is mould these to vermicelli… The next few pictures depict how this is done using the ornate antiq shevara!
Serve this vermicelli warm with the flavoured coconut milk on the side./