Sugee by Mom

When I read about this month’s SHF theme which was about sweet cravings, my mom’s many desserts instantly come to mind. Sure, these days the dessert I would always go for at a restaurant is the molten chocolate cake. But I never crave stuff like that. Well, ok, maybe sometimes… When I do crave sweet stuff, it’s usually desserts from my childhood in Singapore which were almost always made by my mother. If you were to ask me what I crave most, I would not be able to settle on just one sweet treat because I have a long list. I literally go through one dessert at a time during the two weeks per year that I am back in Singapore. No kidding – my mom will ask me each day what I would like to eat for lunch and what I would like for dessert/afternoon tea. Dinner is usually spent catching up with old friends at my favourite restaurants. And mornings are spent with my sister at the gym, for obvious reasons.

As usual, I digress….For June’s SHF hosted by the Domestic Goddess, I have chosen to make this particular dessert because of practical reasons – it’s the only one that requires ingredients that I can find easily in Sydney. You will have to wait for my trip back to Singapore to see the other sweet treats I miss. One of the good things about starting this blog is that I feel extra motivated to attempt to write down my mom’s recipes. Is a pinch of something equivalent to 1/8 of a teaspoon or….? That’s a topic for another day.

My family calls this dessert “sugee”, which I now realise is actually just another name for semolina. This dessert is probably a variation of kabeesa, a Middle-Eastern porridge, which has been nicely described by Anna of Morsels & Musings. Mom usually makes sugee for afternoon tea and sometimes for dessert. I like it anytime of the day! It is also commonly served as a dessert at Muslim weddings in Singapore.

There are many variations of this dessert in Singapore. Some prefer it slightly watery, while others prefer to make it very thick. Some drizzle melted butter (or ghee) just before serving. This dessert can be served warm, at room temperature or cold.

This is my version of my mom’s recipe. She cooks by estimation as all great cooks do, so this is my best attempt at quantifying her recipe.

Mom’s Sugee
Serves 2

3 tbsp semolina*
2 tbsp ground almond (almond meal)
2 cups whole milk
2 tbsp sugar*
2 green cardamom pods, bruise pods and grind seeds finely
A small pinch of saffron threads
2 tbp sultanas
1 tsp rosewater

Garnish: toasted almond flakes, sultanas

Method

Combine all of the ingredients, except for rosewater, in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to the lowest level and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cardamom pods and stir in rosewater. Serve warm and garnish with almond flakes and sultanas.

* Vary the amount of semolina depending on how thick you prefer it to be. Sometimes my mom uses condensed milk instead of sugar.