Sutarfeni is an intricate melt-in-the-mouth Indian sweet made from soft vermicelli nests, sugar syrup and mixed nuts. This easy sutarfeni recipe is made from ready-made Kataifi pastry dough and baked in the air-fryer for quick results that taste and feel just like shop bought.
The best homemade Sutarfeni
This is a truly beautiful Indian dessert and a true Rajasthani & Gujarati classic sweet. This unique yet decadent dessert is as delicious as it looks with its fabulous melt-in-the-mouth finish. No wonder it is mostly served during special occasions and Indian festivals!
Sutar means "thread" and feni means "fine". Fine noodles of pastry are swirled together. These are then deep-fried but the pastry retains its white colour. The swirls are doused in a thick sugar syrup and coated with slivers of nuts.
You can find sutarfeni flavoured with kewra water or rose water or even with saffron or kesar. This results in golden coloured sutarfeni.
Traditionally, the pastry itself is made from scratch and this is certainly how halwai or mithaiwala would make them. Homemade sutarfeni is made with ready-made pastry.
It is difficult to find certain traditional Indian sweets in the UK and it is a very long process to make Sutarfeni from scratch at home!
Sutarfeni has some resemblance to Kataifi nests or Baklawa as both sweets are made from the same pastry, are soaked in sugar syrup and topped with nuts. The difference is in the flavouring and colour. Sutarfeni remains white in colour and Baklava takes on a rich golden-brown colour. Sutarfeni tends to be flavoured with cardamom only whereas Baklava may also have honey or orange blossom flavours.
Vegan Sutarfeni
It is so simple to make sutarfeni vegan. Simple swap the ghee for coconut oil. Ghee only makes up a small proportion of the ingredients and melted coconut oil or even melted vegan butter will work as a perfect alternative.
Ingredients notes
- Kataifi Pastry - Frozen or Fresh. Fresh Kataifi pastry is available in chilled section in middle eastern or Greek grocery stores.
- Sugar - I recommend that you use regular white sugar here to keep Sutarfeni white in colour.
- Ghee or unsalted butter (for a vegan option see below in the post). This recipe uses very small amount of ghee.
- Slivered nuts such as almonds and pistachio.
- Cardamom powder - cardamom powder in this recipe help to flavour the sugar syrup.
Substitution and variations
Flavours -you may add kewra or rose water/rose syrup in the sugar syrup instead of cardamom flavour. If using rose syrup, then Sutarfeni will be in light pink colour.
Toppings - kids might enjoy drizzling some chocolate or caramel sauce. Or sprinkle some funfetti sprinkles or chocolate vermicelli.
How to eat Sutarfeni
Sutarfeni is enjoyed at festivals such as Holi, Diwali, Teej or even at Karwa chauth. Also Sutarfeni is great for gifting as it has long shelf life.
In Mauritius, Sutarfeni given along with other sweets as a thank you token to the guests.
It can be enjoyed with hot milk or for an alternative treat, try drizzling with chocolate sauce!
How to make Sutarfeni using Kataifi Pastry
This is a very easy to follow Indian sweet recipe and is great for beginner bakers despite its complicated appearance.
What is Kataifi Pastry?
Kataifi Pastry is used primarily in Middle Eastern recipes. It is a thread-like dough made from shredded filo. Ready-made versions of this dough can be found in the frozen section of many supermarkets.
Kataifi is also called Kadaifi.
How to work with Kataifi dough
To achieve perfect results cooking with kataifi dough, there are some pointers to keep in mind.
It is important to allow the kataifi dough to thaw fully. I kept the frozen pastry in the fridge overnight before using the next morning. Defrosting in the fridge rather than at room temperature prevents the pastry from becoming watery.
Unwrap the kataifi dough from its packaging only when you are ready to use. Kataifi dough dries out quickly so we also had to work quite fast. As we were making the nests, we were covering them with a towel so they do not dry out.
Step by step Method
Make the kataifi nests/swirls
Ensure the kataifi pastry has fully defrosted. Separate the strands into long strips
Using your fingers, wrap the kataifi dough gently around your fingers until you reach your desired size.
Keep the nests covered whilst you work. We had a spray bottle handy to spray a little water over the pastry to prevent it from drying.
Brush the nests with a little melted ghee or coconut oil if vegan.
Air-fried Sutarfeni
Preheat the air-fryer to 145 C. Place parchment paper in the air fryer basket prior to adding the nests.
Air fry the kataifi for 3 minutes but turn the sutarfeni after 2 minutes so that it cooks evenly at the base and prevents the top of the pastry from going golden. Remember, we want the pastry to remain white in colour as this is key to sutarfeni.
Leave on a cooling rack to cool and meanwhile, prepare the sugar syrup.
I used (*affiliate) Vortex Dual Drawer 8-in-1 Air Fryer from Instant Pot for this recipe.
Prepare the sugar syrup
For sutarfeni, we need a thick sugar syrup that has been cooled. We used a ratio of 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of water and want to achieve a 1 thread consistency. For flavouring, we added a pinch of cardamom powder.
We added a small squeeze of lemon juice to prevent the syrup from crystalizing.
If you have left-over syrup, you could also use it to top Eggless Gulab Jamun Mix Cake
Assemble the sweet
FAQS
Yes you can make sutarfeni ahead and they will stay good for 2 weeks at room temperature. Add the sugar syrup prior to serving.
Baked sutarfeni is a great option if you do not own an airfryer. See the recipe card for the method
Sutarfeni can be made by deep-frying the pastry. The trick is to remove the pastry before it browns. See the recipe card for more details
Other Sugar Syrup and Air Fryer Recipes
- Kala Jamun
- Mohanthal
- Kesar Khaja
- Lemon, Rose and Pistachio Semolina Bundt Cake
- Instant Pot Eggless Revani
- Air fryer Punjabi Samosa Puffs
- Tandoori Paneer Tarte au Soleil
- Rose and Pistachio Puff Pastry Cream Cones
- Baklava Barfi - Mixed Nut Barfi
Find this recipe and 28 other Easy Indian Dessert Recipes that are perfect for Dinner Parties.
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Sutarfeni
Equipment
- Wooden board
- Air fryer/Oven/Frying pan
- Sauce pan
Ingredients
Sutarfeni
- 2 cup Phyllo pastry Shredded/Kataifi pastry
- 2 tablespoon Ghee or unsalted melted butter
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Water
- ¼ teaspoon Cardamom Powder
- 1 teaspoon Lemon juice
Garnish
- 2 tablespoon Nuts slivered
- 1 tablespoon Rose edible petals
Instructions
- In a pan mix water and sugar.
- Cook the sugar syrup mixture on medium heat until you get 1 thread (tar) chashni. It can take up to 5-6 minutes.
- Add cardamom powder and lemon juice and leave it aside.
- Remove the kataifi pastry from the box, keep it covered with a damp cloth or spray some water and cover it with a clean dry kitchen napkin.
- Take small amount of at a time and make round nests or twirls about 4-5 cm diameter. Keep it covered all the time.
- Preheat the air fryer at 149C for 2 minutes.
- Meanwhile brush the nests with melted ghee/unsalted butter (coconut oil if vegan) using a pastry brush.
- Place baking paper in a air fryer basket and arrange sutarfeni nests on it.
- Air fry for 2 minutes on 149C, turn them and air fryer 1 minute on the other side.
- Remove them carefully and placed it on a cooling wire rack.
- Keep a tray underneath the cooling rack to catch the extra sugar syrup.
- Spoon some sugar syrup on cooked sutarfeni ( I spooned about 2-3 tablespoon for each circle)
- Sprinkle slivered nuts, rose petals immediately so they stick. I garnished with some edible silver foil too.
Baked Sutarfeni
- Preheat the oven to 110C, gas mark 1 or 225F
- Place sutarfeni nests on a baking tray.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, after 7-8 minutes keep an eye on them.
- Don't let the colour change, however they should be cooked all over.
- Remove them from the oven, put it on a cooling wire rack.
- Pour sugar syrup, garnish it with the nuts.
Deep fried Suarfeni
- Heat oil or ghee in a frying pan.
- Place one nest in a metal strainer or sieve.
- Deep fry only for 15 seconds, do not make them brown.
- Remove and repeat the process for all them.
- Arrange them on a cooling wire rack, pour the sugar syrup and garnish them with nuts.
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
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Vandana says
I have seen it so many times in the market but never knew that it's called sutarfeni. It looks so tempting, really excited to try it.
Hayley says
@Vandana, i am very sure you will enjoy the taste of it, thanks
Uma Srinivas says
I remember long back ago we ate this with sweetened milk. Your recipe looks wonderful and loved the air-fried part!
Hayley says
@Uma Srinivas, so glad you liked this recipe, thanks for stopping by.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
We have a wonderful Middle eastern store in the city and I have to see if I can find the pastry to make sutarfeni. I love adding some flavored milk over the crunchy pastry and relishing them. Looks so tempting and they are so easy to put together.
Hayley says
@Sandhya Ramakrishnan, iam sure you will find the pastry to make sutarfeni, this recipe is always so tempting like you said, thank you.
Mayuri Patel says
Hayley, I love sutarfeni. Reminds me of the sutarfeni we use to get from Supreme or another sweet shop in Nagara, Nairobi. I will have to look for kaitafi pastry at a Middle Eastern Store so I can try this out at home. Such beautiful clicks too.
Hayley says
@Mayuri Patel, yes sutarfeni has always been a family favourite too,especially at diwali, shop bought is good too but. i always prefer homemade. you must make it and enjoy with the family too. Thanks