Wyndham Women’s recipe of the month 

By Radha Sundarakumar

My name is Radha Sundarakumar. After living in India, Thailand and the UK, my husband and I realised the importance of permanent residency in a country that could provide better opportunities for our children. So, we migrated to Australia in 1988 with our 9-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son. I started off with a mundane job in a bank for the sole purpose of obtaining better staff mortgage rates for our first home.

When the opportunity arose, I went in pursuit of English language teaching, which I have always been passionate about, and successfully did my Masters at Melbourne University. 

I taught ESL at RMIT whilst working as an IELTS examiner at Deakin University. After retirement, we moved to Point Cook, and entered the gratifying sector of volunteering. Since 2017, I have been conducting English classes at Community Centres and helping out at citizenship ceremonies. The joy of giving back to society is truly indescribable. 

Cooking became a passion after marriage, as my husband and children are food-lovers. Being so multicultural, Australia provided many opportunities to try different cuisines and experiment cooking them too.

I joined the Wyndham Women’s Support Group in 2017 when I was in bereavement after the loss of my spouse, and the support and love the multicultural sisters have given me has greatly helped me cope with the immense loss. 

And if you’d like more information about the group please email wyndwomens.sg18@gmail.com

Vermicilli sweet — Payasam  

Indian cuisine is characterised by unique flavours of spices referred to as ‘masala’’ which comprise of cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, coriander , bay leaves, aniseed in various proportions according to the region from where they originate. 

The famous curry sauces could be a combination of any or few of the following ingredients – onion, garlic, ginger , tomatoes, yoghurt, cream, cashew or almond paste or coconut. The massive varieties of dishes that can be prepared from these items are endless as India consists of 28 states and each state has its own distinct typical cuisine. Traditional feasts comprise different kinds of bread and rice with accompaniment of pulses and  vegetarian /meat curries, typically ending in a dry milk sweet or a cardamom flavoured pudding called the ‘payasam /kheer ‘.

Vermicilli sweet is culturally symbolic and typically cooked on festive occasions like Diwali, Ganesh pooja, harvest, spring festivals, birthdays, weddings, engagements and house warming ceremonies. The cooking method may vary slightly in the different states of India but the basic procedure and ingredients are more or less similar. This is the first sweet dish my mother taught me and also happens to be the first sweet  dish I taught my daughter. 

Ingredients

• Vermicilli – 250gms 
• Full cream milk – 750ml
• Water – 100ml 
• Condensed milk – 1 tin 
• Ghee (clarified butter) – 2 tbsp
• Cashew and raisins – handful of each  
• Cardamom powder – 1/4 teaspoon 

Method

• Heat the ghee. Fry cashews till light brown, add raisins and fry till plump , remove and keep aside. 
• Add vermicelli and on low fire, roast till slightly golden.
• Add the milk with the water and keep stirring till there are no lumps and the mixture does not become mushy .
• Cook on low heat  till the vermicelli is cooked really well .
• Add condensed milk and check for required consistency .
• Add the cardamom powder and mix well. Garnish with fried cashews and raisins.
• Enjoy warm or cold.