Vermicelli pudding is synonymous with festivity, community and joy for the South Asian diaspora. It’s the Eid morning dish after prayer, and now the vermicelli is easily available at most UK grocery stores, this creamy, decadent treat is made with pantry staples, making it a popular choice year-round. Adding foraged blooms adds a hint of new beginnings and elevated sweetness…in more ways than one.
This recipe requires some prep the night before, but the steps are minimal and the delicate sweet aroma is well worth it.
Serves – 2
Foraged Ingredients
- A generous handful of wisteria blossoms, petals separated from stalks – 1 on the difficulty scale
Other Ingredients
- 1 cup cream (heavy or regular whipping or cooking cream)
- 1 dollop of ghee (clarified butter)
- 1/2 cup vermicelli noodles, crushed
- A handful of nuts, raisins or coconut flakes – whatever you have on hand
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup condensed milk (adjust to taste)
- 2 spoons of sugar (omit if using sweetened condensed milk)
Method
- Start by carefully plucking the wisteria blossoms. Discard the stalks and any green parts as they are not edible.
- Soak the blossoms in cream overnight in the refrigerator. If you would like a stronger flavour, warm up the cream ever so slightly on the lowest possible flame, submerge the blooms and heat gently for half an hour, taking care not to allow the mixture to become too hot or bubble over. Leave a few blossoms outside the cream.
- In the morning, strain the blooms and discard. Put the cream aside.
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pan, heat the ghee over low heat. Add the vermicelli noodles and nuts, then fry them until they turn golden brown and aromatic. Stir constantly to prevent burning. This step adds a nutty flavour to the dish. Be most careful with the raisins, as they can blacken quickly.
- Once the vermicelli is golden brown, pour in the whole milk and bring it to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low and let the vermicelli simmer in the milk until it softens, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Turn off the heat when the vermicelli resembles spaghetti coated with a very thin, glistening layer of ketchup.
- Add the wisteria-infused cream and stir through.
- Serve chilled, with some fresh blossoms sprinkled on top.
Expert’s Tip
The longer you cook down the milk, the thicker and more decadent it will be.