Sanwin makin: Burmese semolina cake

This recipe for sanwin makin came from Nyein, a darling friend of mine since high school who hails from Burma (now known as Myanmar). I first ate this sweet semolina cake at her parents' house a few years ago, and since then, I have been eager to learn how to make it. Traditionally, sanwin makin is made in a large wok-like pan over an open coal fire. My gas stove and Teflon pan will have to suffice for this experiment.

Ingredients in the kitchen

Ingredients:
1/2 a stick of butter
2 cups of semolina flour (350 g)
2 to 2.5 cups of sugar (350 g)
400 ml coconut milk (about 1.7 cups)
1 tsp salt
3 eggs (beaten)
600 ml water (about 2.5 cups)
1 tsp poppy seeds or sesame seeds or nuts or whatever you want to use as a topping.

Directions:
1. In a large skillet or pan, melt the butter at a low to medium heat.
2. Add the semolina flour and roast the flour until browned at a low to medium heat.
3. When the flour is nicely browned (the color of my skin in the winter), add the sugar, coconut milk, salt, eggs, and water. (Everything except the poppy seeds.) And mix thoroughly while the stove is still on a low to medium heat.
4. Mix until the semolina flour has absorbed the moisture and you can start to see visible separation between the oil and everything else. In the meantime, preheat oven to 350 - 400 F. (Varies with the type of pan you're gonna use.)
5. When the flour is softened and the oil separates, pour the mixture into a baking pan and stick it in the oven on bake for about 15 minutes.
6. When the top of the mixture starts bubbling, switch the oven to broil at 350 - 400 for about 15 mins.
7. Check to see if it's hardened. Keep alternating bake and broil if it's not. Shouldn't be mushy but don't expect it to be as hardened as cake either. Usually the 15 mins of bake and 15 mins of broil will do the trick.
8. Take out of the oven and let cool before eating.
9. Go ahead and sprinkle whatever topping you would like to on the top.

Alternatives:

If you want it a little creamier and sweeter, add some condensed milk to the mixture. You could also add raisins if you like or cinnamon to add flavor. If you don't want to roast the flour, you can just add everything except the toppings together and warm it in the pan before putting it in the oven.

End result of my first attempt at making sanwin makin

Having made this for the first time, I would do a few things differently. One is use two cups of sugar instead of two and a half. It turned out a little too sweet for my taste. I also prefer sesame seeds to poppy. I'm a purist, but walnuts and raisins would bring a different level of texture to the treat for those who want more than the cake itself. Lastly, I browned the butter/semolina for a little too long.

It has been a while since I last ate sanwin makin, but my memory tells me Nyein's mom makes it far better than I. However, my parents both loved it, so it was not a total failure. We all agreed its taste reminds us slightly of rugelach, a typical Ashkenazi Jewish dessert. How ironic!