Los Altos residents like Shireen Zia and her family celebrated Eid al-Fitr last week with feasting, time together in community and, at Zia’s house, outbursts of song.
For families with Pakistani roots like Zia’s, the celebration marking Ramadan’s conclusion began as the moon rose the evening of May 1 with Chand Raat, the moon sighting or night of the moon, with songs of celebration learned decades ago in Pakistan. May 2 continued with prayers and gatherings throughout the day. Zia’s children diligently spent school hours in the classroom, but afterward the celebration began anew.
Young people celebrate with bounce houses, face painting, goody bags and piles of sweets. For the grownups, the treat is gathering together and revisiting family versions of special dishes like sheer khurma, a more elaborate variation on familiar seviyan pudding. The Kashmiri pink tea and sweet, creamy pudding that decorated Zia’s table celebrate the specifics of her heritage – the special tea leaves and unusual technique for the drink require extra effort, but the time spent at the stove grows lighter in a kitchen full of women gathered to celebrate. And her household’s special modifications to the milky vermicelli pudding express Zia’s mother’s style and her own personal preferences. Although she commits to the hours of tea-wrangling, Zia adopts a shortcut seviyan, skipping some of the rounds of sautéing and toasting for separate ingredients and adding a fistful of semolina (suji) for its toothsome texture. Almonds or pistachios can vary based on whim, but she always ends with a crunchy garnish of melon seeds.
The Islamic world celebrates two particularly enormous Eid events each year – the word “Eid” means “celebration” – starting with Eid al-Fitr, which broke the monthlong Ramadan fast last week with special foods as well as a day of prayer and gatherings. Eid al-Adha, which will fall July 9 and 10 this year, brings a return of shared sweets (as well as many pious religious elements), and because the holiday marks Ibrahim’s ritual slaughter of a lamb, meat plays a major part in many families’ celebrations.
Those celebrating the holidays in the Los Altos area have an increasing abundance of local places to gather for prayers and sermons – Zia’s family goes to the West Valley Muslim Association in Saratoga, but the Muslim Community Association is also nearby, as are other masjids – and last week’s holiday, one of the most important in the year, offers a chance to revisit regional traditions as well as the foundations of faith.
“I think most of the things we do to give our kids the feeling that this is what our culture is, this is what the religion says,” Zia said of the gifts, sweets and songs that mingle with more spiritual aspects of the day. “I want my kids to feel the joy that we used to feel when our elders gave us money, the joy of celebrating with your cousins – here we don’t have cousins, but we have so many different friends, and are meeting so many different cultures who are celebrating the way we celebrate. As we are far, far away from home and away from family, it brings us back to memory lane to sing songs, and the kids say that moms go crazy with their loud voices.”
Tea and sweets
Zia only breaks out her pink chai for special occasions because the recipe is so time-consuming. Her family hails from Kashmir, and she finds the special kehwa tea leaves at local shops like Mountain View’s Rose Market or New India Bazar in Sunnyvale.
The leaves look an innocent greenish brown when you buy them – the “pink” name comes from the alchemy of a multistep process distinct from other South Asian masala chais.
The tea leaves go into a pot with water, cardamom and star anise and come to a simmer, making the kehwa (also often transliterated as kahwa). Then, over the next two to three hours, intermittent additions of icy chilled water transform the regular ruddy tea color into a soft pink. Zia has found that holding back a cinnamon stick (which might typically join the cardamom and star anise) preserves the color – she steeps it separately in milk, to combine at the last minute with the tea and sugar to taste.
Zia’s sheer khurma includes some tweaks to the flavoring. The delicate milk pudding typically uses rose water or kewra water – she drops both. In Pakistan, she was familiar with kewra in many applications, from biryanis to savory khurmas as well as desserts, but like other seasonings such as MSG familiar from childhood, she’s found that going without is a doable preference.
“It is very strong – you just need a drop of it – and it’s a chemical base,” Zia said. “Why should you bother to have it? Add extra cardamom and you have the flavor.”
Kashmiri Chai (Pink Tea), speeded up
For kehwa:
• 4 cups water
• 4 teaspoons Kashmiri tea leaves
• 1 star anise
• 2-3 cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed cardamom seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups ice water
For milk:
• 2 cups milk
• 4-inch cinnamon stick
• Sugar to taste (optional)
• 1/2 tablespoon crushed almonds
• 1/2 tablespoon crushed pistachios
In pot, combine water, Kashmiri tea leaves, star anise, cloves, cardamom seeds, salt and baking soda and bring to boil. Simmer 20-30 minutes, until it reduces by half.
Add chilled water, mix well 8-10 minutes and simmer 10 minutes.
Strain and set aside – at this stage, kehwa can be refrigerated up to four to five days.
To finish: In pot, combine milk with cinnamon stick and (optional) sugar and bring to simmer. Add kehwa and simmer a few minutes.
When you pour tea in cups, top with almonds and pistachios.
Sheer Khurma
• 1 cup crushed vermicelli (Southeast Asian sev noodles – not the Italian variety)
• 1 quart whole milk
• 1/4 cup whipped cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed cardamom seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cantaloupe seeds
• 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
In pot, combine milk, sugar and cardamom seeds, mix well and bring to boil. Simmer until milk is 1/4 reduced – stir constantly so milk doesn’t stick to base of pot.
Dry-fry vermicelli until it begins to color, then add to milk pot, mix well and cook on low flame 3-4 minutes. Add slivered almonds and simmer 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat – can be served hot or cold.
In frying pan, dry roast cantaloupe seeds 1 minute and let cool. Use, with more slivered almonds, as garnish for extra crunch.
