Sutarfeni/ Sutar Pheni

Sutarfeni or સુતરફેણી means threadlike noodles spun together. These noodles could be sweetened or unsweetened. Unsweetened noodles can be eaten with warm milk and nuts to form a noodle porridge. Sweetened ones can be eaten as it is from the box :) Being brought up in Mumbai,  I remember eating sweetened sutarfeni. I had not even seen unsweetened ones until I moved to the US. In fact, it is really difficult to find the sweetened sutarfeni here. This is one of my favorite sweets since the childhood. And the best sutarfeni in Mumbai was sold at 'Parsi Dairy Farm', a famous Parsi sweet shop at Princess street, Mumbai.

It is easy to make and for all the sweet lovers out there, these shredded noodles are lightly sweetened and melt in the mouth. Your guests will be super impressed by you if you serve them this fine and delicate sweet!

To begin with, I found the shredded filo dough packet at a Mediterranean grocery store near my house. I had bought the packet to wrap paneer (cottage cheese) and to fry it. Basically I wanted to make an appetizer. Instead, I thought of making a sweet of it! Shredded filo dough is also called Kataifi and is found in the frozen section of the store.

I pulled out few long strands and arranged them in a circular fashion in a metal sieve/strainer. 

These strands were then fried in hot ghee or clarified butter for 15 seconds.

I gently removed them from the stainer on a paper towel. Made remaining sutarfenis! These were small ones, each of 3 inch diameter. Big round ones can also be prepared depending on the size of metal strainer.

I let all the prepared circular sutarfenis cool well. 

While they were cooling, I prepared a thick sugar syrup with 2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup water. I added a tsp of cardamon powder the the syrup and allowed the sugar syrup to cool completely.

 

I arranged all the fenis on a cooling rack. Then poured cool sugar syrup  over the fenis. Around 2-3 tbsps. of sugar syrup should be enough for each feni.

Here comes my favorite part! Sprinkling chopped  almonds and pistachios over the sutarfeni so that the nuts are held by the dried sugar. Also, sprinkling some freshly ground cardamon powder gives fresh and wonderful flavor as you bite into the sweet.  Although I felt like picking up one, I let these noodles absorb the sugar syrup and set well. Once the sugar dries, sutarfeni is ready to serve. I immediately offered one to GOD (as we do before tasting any sweet or food) and then got the bite of it!

Here is a batch of Sutarfeni I prepared for the Annukut at BAYVP Vaishnav temple Milpitas.

  Enjoy these delicate sweet threads, Sutarfeni!