Burmese Semolina Cake - Sanwin Makin

 

Sanwin Makin

Semolina is also known as Cream of Wheat in English, Shweji in Burmese, and Rawa or Suji in Hindi. It is available in any Indian market and, most recently, comes pre-toasted to a lovely golden hue. I've tried making this dessert a few times but was most pleased with my efforts this last time. That must be because I replaced the white poppy seeds (posto) with a mixture of white poppy seeds and toasted sesame seeds.

It's pretty labor-intensive to prepare, so set aside a whole afternoon to make this semolina cake. Sanwin Makin is a popular and beloved dessert in Burma. What I love is the aroma that permeates every corner of my home, of toasted semolina, sesame seeds and coconut milk. This cake is creamy, dreamy and light. I baked it in a 9" x 8" Pyrex dish and it was enough to feed 10 guests for an after-lunch snack with coffee. All of us, from the oldest adults to the youngest child loved it and came back multiple times for more!

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups semolina, toasted

2 (14.5 oz.) cans coconut milk

1 cup sugar

4 eggs, separated

1/2 stick or 4 Tbsp. butter

1/2 tsp. cardamom powder

1/4 tsp. salt or to taste

2 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted

1 Tbsp. white poppy seeds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9" x 8" oven-proof pan with parchment paper.
2. If necessary, toast semolina in a dry skillet until golden brown, remove from skillet and set aside.
3. Place sesame seeds in a single layer on a cookie tray, toast in preheated oven for 15 minutes until golden brown, remove  from oven and set aside.
4. Pour coconut milk into skillet, stir in semolina until combined and bring to a boil.
5. Stir continuously, to prevent sticking, until thickened.
6. Add sugar and keep stirring over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
7. Add butter and continue to stir until semolina begins to pull away at the edges.
8. Stir in cardamom and salt, and stir well.
9. Separate egg yolks from egg whites.
10. Beat egg yolks, one at a time, into semolina mixture.
11. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, and fold into semolina mixture in 3 batches.
12. Pour batter into oven-proof, parchment-lined dish and smooth the top.
13. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, sprinkle top of cake with sesame seeds, filling in the gaps with poppy seeds.
14. Return to oven and bake for another 15 - 20 minutes until edges and top brown to a golden hue.
15. Cool before cutting cake into squares or diamond shapes and serve with a hot beverage.