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Sekai Gohan

Sutarfeni: Western Indian Kataifi Nests in Cardamom Syrup

Servings 18 pieces

White thread-like sutarfeni nests on a plate, glossy with syrup and topped with almonds, pistachios and edible rose petals
Steps with photos

Ingredients

Ingredient Amount Role
Kataifi pastry (shredded phyllo), thawed 2 cups The threads; twirled into nests and crisped white
Ghee 2 tbsp Melted and brushed on the nests before cooking
White sugar 1 cup Syrup; plain white sugar keeps the sweet white
Water 1 cup Syrup
Green cardamom powder ¼ tsp The one spice; stirred into the finished syrup
Lemon juice 1 tsp Stirred into the syrup
Slivered nuts (almonds and pistachios) 2 tbsp Scattered on the wet syrup
Edible rose petals 1 tbsp Scattered with the nuts

Steps

  1. 1Thaw the kataifi and keep it covered

    Move the frozen kataifi from the freezer to the refrigerator and leave it there overnight. Thawing it at room temperature makes it watery. Once it has thawed, spread it loosely in a shallow tray and drape a clean damp cloth over it. If the exposed strands start to look dry, mist them lightly with water. It is ready when the strands bend without snapping and separate easily under your fingertips.

    Work from under the cloth

    Kataifi dries quickly. Dry strands snap when you twirl them and break into crumbs. Keep both the loose pastry and the finished nests covered for the whole session.

  2. 2Twirl the strands into small nests

    Pull a small bundle of strands from under the cloth. Twirl it between your fingers into a compact round nest, about 4–5 cm across. Set each nest on parchment and cover the finished ones with a cloth while you shape the rest. Keep the nests the same size so they cook at the same rate. A nest is right when it keeps its round shape after you set it down.

  3. 3Preheat and brush with ghee

    Preheat the air fryer to 149°C for 2 minutes. Melt the ghee, or the butter or coconut oil if you are swapping. Brush it lightly over the top of each nest with a pastry brush, and dab rather than drag so the strands stay in place. When you are done, the strands look faintly glossy and are still raw white.

  4. 4Air-fry the nests until crisp and still white

    Line the basket with baking parchment and set the nests on it with space between them. Work in batches if they do not all fit. Air-fry at 149°C for 2 minutes, turn each nest, and cook for 1 minute more. The pastry must stay white. Browning is the one way this step goes wrong. The nests are done when they feel crisp and dry and are still cream-white.

    Watch the colour, not the clock

    Air fryers vary. If the edges of a nest start to turn golden, take it out and give the next batch less time. A nest that has browned stays brown under the syrup.

  5. 5Cool on a rack and check one nest

    Lift the nests onto a wire rack set over a tray and let them cool. Break one in half and taste a few strands from the centre. If they feel doughy or taste of raw flour, put the nests back in the heat for a little longer and keep watching the colour. Never serve a nest with a raw centre. A nest is ready when it snaps cleanly and is dry all the way through.

  6. 6Boil the syrup to one thread

    Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan and set it over medium heat. Let it boil for 5 to 6 minutes, until the bubbles grow large and slow and the syrup thickens. Lift the spoon to test it. At one-thread stage (tar chashni), a thin, unbroken thread of syrup runs back into the pan. To check more closely, drop a little syrup onto a plate and let it cool, then touch it. It should stretch into a single thread between finger and thumb.

    Hot syrup

    Sugar syrup at this stage is boiling hot, and it sticks to skin. Never test it with a finger in the pot. Only touch a drop that has cooled on a plate. Keep children away from the stove.

  7. 7Flavour the syrup and let it cool

    Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the cardamom powder and lemon juice until the cardamom disappears into the syrup. Leave the syrup to cool. It should be thick and cool before it goes on the nests.

    Cool syrup keeps the crunch

    Pour thick, cooled syrup over crisp nests. Thin or hot syrup goes straight through the strands, and the nests turn soggy instead of glazed.

  8. 8Spoon the syrup over each nest

    Check that the tray is under the rack. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of syrup over each nest to start, so the batch reaches all 18. Then go back with the rest of the syrup to any nests that still look dry. The extra drips through the rack into the tray. The nests are soaked when the strands turn slightly translucent where the syrup has gone in and the surface shines.

  9. 9Garnish while the syrup is wet

    Right away, scatter the slivered nuts and rose petals over the nests. Press them on lightly with your fingertips so they stick to the syrup. Leave the nests on the rack until the syrup sets a little. The garnish is set when you can tilt a nest and nothing slides off.