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Sweets · Easy

Navat for tea: make it at home

Navat grows as crystals on a string in a supersaturated sugar syrup over 7–10 days. A home method, and how Uzbeks serve it with kok-chai.

Prep
10 min
Cook
10 min
Total
7 to 10 days
Servings
4
Navat for tea: make it at home

Navat (novvot in Uzbek) is sugar grown into large crystals from a supersaturated syrup, on strings or sticks. In Uzbekistan it sits on the dastarkhan next to the tea bowls: people bite off a little as they sip their kok-chai, or drop a piece straight into the bowl. Growing navat at home is easy; it only takes a jar, a string and 7–10 days in which nobody touches the jar. What navat is, how it differs from ordinary sugar and rock candy, and how to choose it are covered in our Insights article "What is navat?".

Method

  1. 1

    Make the seed: wet the string or skewers, roll them in sugar and leave to dry for 1–2 hours.

  2. 2

    Bring the water to the boil in a heavy-based pan and add the sugar in batches, stirring until it has fully dissolved.

  3. 3

    Boil the syrup for 2–3 minutes until completely clear. Wash any crystals off the sides with a wet pastry brush.

  4. 4

    If you like, add saffron or grape juice for a yellow or amber navat.

  5. 5

    Take the pan off the heat and let the syrup stand for 15–20 minutes.

  6. 6

    Warm the jar with hot water so it does not crack, then pour in the syrup.

  7. 7

    Tie the string to a pencil laid across the mouth of the jar and lower it into the syrup, clear of the bottom and sides.

  8. 8

    Cover the jar with paper or a cloth and leave it somewhere warm where it will not be moved.

  9. 9

    After 7–10 days, lift out the string of crystals; if a sugar crust has formed on top, break it gently first.

  10. 10

    Let the navat dry on a rack for 1–2 days, then store it in a dry, lidded jar.

Cook's tips

  • Everything depends on a supersaturated syrup: at least 2.5 parts sugar to 1 part water. With less sugar, no crystals will grow.
  • The slower the syrup cools, the bigger the crystals: wrap the jar in a towel.
  • Leave out citric acid: when heated, it splits sucrose and slows crystal growth.
  • Saffron gives a yellow navat like Persian nabat; Uzbek navat is more often clear, white or amber.

FAQ

Navat for tea: common questions

The first crystals appear after a day or two; large ones take 7–10 days. You cannot hurry it: if the syrup cools fast, the sugar drops to the bottom as fine grains.

Usually the syrup was not saturated enough, or the jar was moved. Pour the syrup back into the pan, add more sugar, boil it and start again with a fresh seed string.

Break the navat into pieces and set it out in a small bowl next to the teapot, dried fruit and nuts. People bite off a little as they sip, or drop a piece into the tea bowl. Our recipe "Kok-chai: how to brew Uzbek green tea" covers the tea itself.

No. Navat is the same sucrose, and people with diabetes count it as ordinary sugar. Where navat comes from, what it is called in other countries and why it is given for colds is in the article "What is navat?".

Ask at the Arkan Bazar counter at Riga Central Market. The range of tea sweets changes, so it is worth checking whether navat is in stock before you go.

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Get the ingredients at Arkan Bazar

You will find rice, spices, dried fruit, nuts, non flatbread and tea for most of these recipes on our counter at Riga Central Market, Nēģu iela 7, open daily from 09:00 to 17:00.

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How to make navat at home and serve it with tea