Sargi is not a feast. It is the plate a mother-in-law, or a mother, sets down in the dark so the fast has something to stand on. Pheni for sweetness, milk for the day ahead, fruit so it is not only sugar. The fast itself is waterless until moonrise. This kitchen does not pretend that is easy. It only cooks the plate that starts the day.
Ingredients
- pheni or fine roasted vermicelli1 cup
- whole milk2 cups
- sugar or mishri2 tbsp, or to taste
- ghee1 tbsp
- almonds2 tbsp, slivered
- cashews2 tbsp
- raisins1 tbsp
- fresh coconuta few chunks
- cardamom2 pods, crushed
- apple or banana1, sliced, to serve
- pomegranatea handful of seeds
Method
- 1
Warm the ghee. Toast almonds, cashews, and raisins until just gold. Lift them out.
- 2
In the same ghee, stir the pheni for half a minute so it smells toasted, not raw.
- 3
Pour in the milk and cardamom. Simmer 8 minutes until the milk is fragrant and slightly thicker. Sweeten it.
- 4
Set the pheni on a plate. Pour a ladle of milk beside it, not over it, so the nests stay crisp. Scatter the nuts, coconut, fruit, and pomegranate.
- 5
Eat before sunrise. Cover what is left; it is the first thing after the moon, or breakfast for whoever is not fasting.