Warm sweet soup of flour with a dash of cinnamon,cardamon and pandan leaf cooked in coconut milk is what traditional dessert flavours of my native island (fuvahmulah) reminds me of. Faa baiffen is one traditonal dessert made from basic pantry items. Growing up we were not bestowed with many food items or anything in excess (life was much better with minimal items)
An afternoon when the blazing sun is out there a lunch filled with home grown boiled taros and flavourful fish soup accompanied with desiccated coconut compliments the most with faa baiffen. A warm soup which is smooth and velvety in texture leaving little surprises of dough pulps in your mouth. The smooth texture is obtained by mixing coconut milk with flour and sugar. The aroma of pandan leaf with cinnamon and cardamon while you cook this soup is extremely soothing to your soul. I absorb the flavours it steams out into my soul fancying it uplift my mood ( I believe I connect with my food like this)
What you need for faa baiffen
- For the soup
2 table spoon flour
milk from 1 medium size coconut
41/2 table spoon sugar
1/2 tea spoon cardamon and cinnamon ( if its ground. I recommend to use ground ones as it gives more flavours)
6 inch pandan leaf
- For the dough
1/2 cup flour
1 table spoon vegtable oil
Enough hot water to mix the dough
serving size: 3–4 people
- Preparation
Knead the dough well enough that its soft and supple. Here comes the fascinating part of making small pieces of dough which takes forever to make. So if you want to make faa baiffen remember to prepare a little ahead of time. Keep rolling the dough pieces like the picture I posted above. Sprinkle flour in the pieces of dough with an occasional flip through the dough so that it doesn’t stick with each other. Once you are done with what seems a forever task now its time to cook what I love most to do. Cooking the flour in coconut milk ( diluted coconut milk for cooking) adding sugar while gently stirring the paste. My moms words resonates in my head while I cook it. Keep the flame low keep stirring continuously and cook longer so the flour is cooked well. I’m still compelled to follow it like she is giving me that look of do it properly or don’t do it at all kind of look. Add the dough pieces in the mixture stirring through until its well cook within 10 minutes . There is a more concentrated coconut milk mixed with the cinnamon cardamon kept for the final touch. Its like cherry on the cake.
You can eat it by a spoon if you like.traditional way is drinking it. You can adjust the consistency to your liking.
Reminiscing childhood memories often is associated with foods. Specially if your mother is a good cook (mothers put love in their food after all) one corner of my eyes searching for my friends to show up for our daily play dates while my mother keeps me occupied with rolling little pieces of dough wouldn’t be so merry for the little girl I was. But my love for authentic local cuisine grew from there. What enchants me with these authentic foods are my hands on experience with the textures and flavours.
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