Vermicelli Balls (Siwayyo ke Laddu)

 Vermicelli Balls

 (Siwayyon ke Laddu)

  (18.2.2018)

Introduction to Vermicelli:

Vermicelli means  little worms in Italian,  It is a traditional type of pasta, similar to spaghetti. In English-speaking regions, it is usually thinner than spaghetti, while in Italy it is typically thicker.

The term vermicelli is also used to describe various types of thin noodles from Asia. In Vietnam, vermicelli is the same as angel hair pasta or capellini.

it is learned that In 14th-century Italy, long pasta shapes had varying local names. Barnabas de Reatinis of Reggio notes in his Compendium de naturis et proprietatibus alimentorum (1338) that the Tuscan vermicelli are called orati in Bologna, minutelli in Venice, fermentini in Reggio, and pancardelle in Mantua.

The first mention of a vermicelli recipe is in the book De Arte Coquinaria per vermicelli e macaroni siciliani (The Art of Cooking Sicilian Macaroni and Vermicelli), compiled by the famous Maestro Martino da Como, unequaled in his field at the time and perhaps the first "celebrity chef," who was the chef at the Roman palazzo of the papal chamberlain ("camerlengo"), the Patriarch of Aquileia. In Martino's Libro de Arte coquinaria, there are several recipes for vermicelli, which can last two or three years (doi o tre anni) when dried in the sun.

Spanning across many regions of the world, the thin noodles have so many variations, and In fact, there are no clear answers even to where the story of the worm-like strands began. In Italy, as the Tuscan name suggests? Or, in China, as countless Marco Polo stories would suggest. Vermicelli is, of course, pervasive today all over southeast Asia, in western Asia, and in the Indian subcontinent too apart from its two big outposts, Italy and China. Tracing these various versions of the noodle across the world is not just a fun exercise but also quite instructive. We can only conjecture that the vermicelli made its way into the sub-continent through trade with the Arab world that connected the west with the east for so many hundred years; as a result, imbibing within its fold so many culinary treasures.

In Egypt, the Arab technique of frying vermicelli (called she’reya) in butter or oil—before adding water to it and cooking it with rice comes fairly close to how we cook the strands in India and Pakistan, both for sweets and savories. Sewayyan, the popular Id, common to the Subcontinent and parts of West Asia, can of course be made as a Kheer, cooked in milk. But the dry version of this vermicelli sweet, called Sewayyon ka Zarda is made by frying the noodles in ghee, adding syrup or sugar, and nuts are some of the most delicious desserts that you can come across anywhere. 

Sewayyan is still made by hand by old matriarchs in their homes in Pakistan and India. Then, we have the Falooda the glutinous strands that come with Kulfi, or just as a cold dessert dunked in syrup. A take on the vermicelli, Falooda can be traced back to the faloodeh of Persian cuisine, a frozen dessert of thin vermicelli made from frozen cornstarch, rose water, lime juice, and pistachios. In southeast Asia, of course, the rice vermicelli is quite well known too: From the Cantonese Mai fun to the Vietnamese bun. And local substitutes for rice in the noodles include not just wheat but also Moong Beans. Finally, if you still haven’t stopped looking for the strands, you could find them in Latin America too as the fideo. The worm noodles are all-pervasive—even if we can’t quite define how thick vermicelli should really be and how is it different from other similar Pasta shapes even in Italy (every region has its own vermicelli).
   

Equation:

1.  Cooking Vermecilli                    10 minutes
2.  Mixing & making Balls               10 minutes
3.  Expenses:                                  Rupees Three Hundred ( about 1-1/2 Dollars)

Ingredients:

1.   1 Cup Vermicelli (Thinly Crushed)
2.   2 Tablespoons Butter
3.   1/2 Teaspoon Cardamom Powder
4.   1/2 cup Desiccated Coconut
5.   125 ml Sweetened Condensed Milk or as desired.
6.    Chopped Dry Fruit (Optional) as required.
7.   Sprinkles as for Coating
8.   Granulated sugar (Optional), also for Coating.

How to make:

• Crush a whole bunch of Vermicelli and put it in a large bowl.
• Fry them in butter till Golden.
• Mix in the Cardamom Powder and mix well, let it cool.
• Mix in Desiccated Coconut and.
• Now gradually add Condensed Milk and check if you can make the perfect rounded Balls easily. Stop adding more condensed Milk if some of its quantity is unused. Let that use it some other dessert.
• Place some Sprinkles on a wide plate, and on another plate, put some Desiccated Coconut for coating the Balls in them. (Optionally you can use Granulated sugar or Brown sugar as well for coating purposes, every one of these 4 items will give it a beautiful look as well as the taste)
• Now take one ball and start coating it in Sprinkles or any other coating item.
• Put them on a platter and serve.

You'd have noticed that preparing the above Vermicelli Balls is very simple and kids play, so kick out the FEAR OF FAILURE from your mind and let the kids and neighbors enjoy these novel balls. Make them more colorful with innovative and decorative food materials of your choice with the help of your kids. These balls can be dipped in melted chocolate, both white or original brown, and Glaze of different colors if kids insist.

You only keep the mixing of Condensed milk in check, as it must be in the right proportion to the other ingredients, and for some reason, if it exceeds, the balls will be soggy and difficult to take shape. If it happens, increase the amount of desiccated Coconut. It will take care of everything.

Thank you and love you all,

thine eternally,

NOVICE