Boeber

Ingredients

Drink

• 2 tbspbutter or ghee
• 100 gfine vermicelli, broken into short lengths
• 3 tbspsago, soaked 30 min in cold water
• 1.5 litresfull-cream milk
• 100 gsugar
• 4green cardamom pods, bruised
• 1cinnamon stick
• 2 tbspflaked almonds
• a pinch of salt
• 1 tbsprose water

To finish

• extra flaked almonds
• dried rose petals, optional

Directions

1. Soak the sago in cold water for 30 minutes and drain it. Sago that goes into the pot dry stays chalky and opaque in the middle no matter how long it simmers.
2. Melt the butter in a heavy pan and fry the broken vermicelli over a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it turns an even golden brown. This toasting gives boeber its nutty background; untoasted vermicelli leaves it tasting of nothing but sweet milk.
3. Pour in the milk and add the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and salt. Bring it to a bare simmer, watching closely, because milk with butter and starch in it climbs the pan without warning.
4. Add the drained sago and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the pearls are translucent and the vermicelli is soft.
5. Stir in the sugar and the almonds and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
6. Take the pan off the heat and only then stir in the rose water. Rose water added to a boiling pot loses almost all of its scent within a minute.
7. Fish out the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods, pour into mugs or heatproof glasses, and scatter with the extra almonds and rose petals.
8. Serve hot. Boeber is a drink and should pour freely from the ladle; if it has thickened on standing, loosen it with a little hot milk before serving.

Technique

• The line between boeber and a milk pudding is consistency alone. Err on the thin side.
• Cape Malay families drink it on Boeber Night, the fifteenth night of Ramadan, which marks the halfway point of the fast.
• Keep stirring once the sago is in. Sago sinks, sticks and scorches, and scorched milk cannot be rescued.

Substitutions

• Ground cardamom, a scant half teaspoon, if you have no pods.
• Tapioca pearls in place of sago, soaked in the same way.
• Condensed milk instead of sugar, reducing the fresh milk accordingly.

Variations

• Tinted pale pink with a drop of colouring, which is common at Cape mosques.
• With a handful of desiccated coconut added along with the sugar.
• Made richer with a tin of evaporated milk replacing some of the fresh milk.

History

Cape Malay families drink it on Boeber Night, the fifteenth night of Ramadan, marking the halfway point of the fast.

Frequently asked questions

What is Boeber?

Boeber is a drink from South Africa: warm milk drink with vermicelli, sago, rose water and almonds. Cape Malay families drink it on Boeber Night, the fifteenth night of Ramadan, marking the halfway point of the fast.

How long does Boeber take to make?

Boeber takes 10 min plus 30 min soaking of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 cups. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Boeber?

Yes, within limits. Ground cardamom, a scant half teaspoon, if you have no pods. Tapioca pearls in place of sago, soaked in the same way. Condensed milk instead of sugar, reducing the fresh milk accordingly.