Whenever I run into someone that knew my granny or a family member that I haven’t seen in a while, they also tell me that I look just like my granny. I take that as a huge compliment.

I came across pictures of her in her younger days and she was beautifully, then I came along and gave her grey hair… just kidding.

The other night I ran into someone who I didn’t know from a bar of soap, but she stopped me and asked me if I was related to Rajadean… to which I replied, yes that is my grandfather, she said she could see the resemblance but before she could ask if my aunty was my mother, I quickly pointed my mother out and introduced them. Everyone also seems to tell me that I look like my aunty and confuse her for my mother… the next person who tells me of that resemblance I will punch their lights out without the help of Eskom.

To tell you the truth, I was a bit startled, no one has ever said that I look like my grandfather, I had just turned 3 and 3 days after my birthday, he passed away, so I didn’t know him that well. I was a bit shocked and trust me I could not stop looking at myself in the mirror. I even made my mother phone my uncle to make him a little bit jealous that I have the Naidoo gene in me. He has my grandfather’s hands and facial features but me, I have my grans small hands and facial features. It was also so strange to hear someone mention my grandfather’s name. I have never heard a stranger say his full name in my 31 years of existence. People call him Raja but never Rajadean.

To make sure that I was still Grannies small baby, I decided to make one of her all-time favourite drinks to make on a cold winters night. Boeber. My grans recipe left out the exact measurements, but I came across a recipe very similar to hers in Cariema’s cookbook.

This was sooo perfect because when I made this it just happened to be the coldest night in many years that we in our small town experienced.

My mother loved it and my brother loved it and I loved it and my father he kept confusing it for Payisor the Indian version that is very similar to this but it is served with poppadums.

Ingredients:

• 4 tsp butter.
• 2 x cardamom pods, slightly bruised.
• 3 x cinnamon sticks.
• 1 x cup vermicelli, crushed.
• ¼ x cup sago, soaked in ½ cup of water for 15 minutes.
• 1l x full cream milk.
• 1 x tbsp. rose water.
• ¼ x tsp almond essence.
• ½ x cup sugar.

Method:

• Melt the butter in a pot.
• Add the cardamom pods and cinnamon stocks.
• Once they start to release a lovely aroma, add the crushed vermicelli.
• Stirring occasionally, allow the vermicelli to brown, this will take roughly 10 minutes.
• Drain the excess water off the sago and add the sago to the pot.
• Add the milk, rose water and almond essence.
• Give it a good stir to mix everything.
• Cook till the sago is transparent.
• Add the sugar and cook on a low heat for another 15 minutes.