Inside her Orlando home, Salmah Hack can usually be found cooking a family recipe in her kitchen. The Guyanese-American home cook from Richmond Hill, Queens, is now married with two teenage children living in Orlando. Currently, she’s a contestant on Season 2 of The Great American Recipe.
“My culinary journey was greatly shaped by my mother and grandmother. Soaking in the stories from their kitchen journeys. My love for Guyanese cuisine and culture stems from those treasured memories,” said Salmah Hack, Season 2 contestant of The Great American Recipe. “I believe kitchen adventures are fueled by trial and error. Your time in the kitchen is a symphony orchestrated by you, the conductor of season & spice!”
Salmah’s Islamic heritage has played a role in her recipes, too. In honor of Eid al-Adha (or the Feast of Sacrifice), she’s sharing her favorite recipe (and one seen on this week’s episode of The Great American Recipe), – Vamazelli Cake.
Vamazelli, known to the world as vermicelli. Vamazelli cake is a Guyanese sweet enjoyed on festive holidays or occasions. Celebrating Eidul Fitr and Eidual Adha, we start the day with something sweet and for us Guyanese, Vamazelli cake is the traditional morning sweet! Vamazelli strands are broken into thin shards and parched (toasted) in a large pot with spices. A mixture of milks and sugar boiled down to a syrup thickly coating the strands. The lusciously fragrant cake cooked stovetop poured into a butter dish, adorned with cherries. This dish serves 20.
INGREDIENTS
1 10 oz package of Vamazelli or Vermicelli Noodles
1 stick butter
2 cinnamon Sticks
6 cloves
2 cracked cardamom pods
2 cups hot water
2 cups whole milk, warm
1 can condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
maraschino cherries
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup sultanas, golden raisins
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large pot begin melting butter and toasting cinnamon sticks cardamom and cloves
- Break vamazelli strands in the closed packet and add to pot, begin parching. To parch is simply toasting the noodles in the melted butter and spices till slightly brown
- Separately, place whole milk, evaporated milk and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Heat water in a kettle, keep the liquids aside but at the ready
- Parch till the vamazelli has become fragrant and browned, gather parched strands in the middle of the pot and pour over boiling water. Cover pot allowing noodles to absorb water and soften
- After 3 minutes, remove the cover and gradually pour over 1/3 of the warm milks, add condensed milk and brown sugar. Gentle stir to combine. Cover and allow vamazelli to absorb the milk, continue pouring over milk, till all is complete. Gentle stirs, as to ensure the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Keep on medium low heat
- Once the milks are absorbed and vamazelli begins to thicken, fish out cinnamon sticks & cloves. Add raisins, cherries, and sultanas (golden raisins). Tip in a little water if need to thin out vamazelli mixture
- With the liquids absorbed and the mixture thick, remove from heat
- Pour vamazelli into a lightly grease a 9×13 serving dish. Allow cake to set for 15 minutes before cutting
“Competing on The Great American Recipe was a humbling learning experience,” said Hack. “I've walked away with a broader perspective and insight into each of the home cook's culture and food. We've bonded as home cooks and digital food content creators, each championing to showcase our heritage through food. We've become a community of support! If it's one thing this experience has taught me, it's that the similarities of food will always bring people together!”
The Great American Recipe Season 2 is a competition cooking show that features home chefs from around the country who make dishes representing their region and roots. With a wide diversity of cooking styles influenced by their varied backgrounds — from Guyanese to Greek, Libyan to Lithuanian, Caribbean to Native American, Midwestern to Traditional Hawaiian, the contestants in Season 2 represent the delicious diversity of American home cooking.The Great American Recipe airs Mondays, at 9:00-10:00 pm ET on WUCF TV, wucf.org and the PBS App.