At the start of every Ramadaan, there’s just one thing I want to know, wanneer is dit boeber aand?
While I have never attempted to make my own boeber (not even boeber in a box) I quite enjoy this traditional Cape Malay sweet treat and comparing one tietie’s boeber to the next.
Boeber is traditionally served on the 15th day of Ramadaan to mark the middle of the Fast.
It’s made with vermicelli, sago, sugar, and flavoured with cardamom, stick cinnamon and rose water.
Just like pickled fish and hot cross buns is not just limited to Easter, boeber i s nie net vir die Pwasa nie.
In South Africa boeber was originally made by Cape Malays, whose ancestors came from Indonesia, East Africa and India.
At the Daily Voice we have our very own boeber queen – in 2014 Shanaaz Mohamed, 45, from Mitchells Plain won our boeber competition.
I shamelessly had four bakkies of Shanaaz’s creamy boeber, but FYI, I was pregnant at the time so I wasn’t being giemba, I was eating for two.
I loved that even with the condensed milk, which is optional, the boeber wasn’t too sweet.
In many families the boeber recipe is passed down from ouma to auntie to grandchild, but mine will always come from a pakkie by die shop.
Shanaaz's lekker boeber recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 2x500g vermicelli
- 8 litres of milk
- 2 tins of ideal milk
- 2 tins condensed milk
- 2 handfuls of fine coconut
- 10 cardamom seeds
- 8 cinnamon sticks
- 1cup of sugar
- ½ packet sago
Method
- Add vermicelli and butter in a pot.
- Simmer until the vermicelli is brown then add
- milk, ideal milk, condensed milk coconut,
- cardamom seeds, cinnamon and sugar.
- Stir until milk is warm, add sago.
- Stir until sago thickens.
- Remove pot from stove and serve warm.