Eid isn't complete without my sheer khurma recipe (Eid seviya). This vermicelli pudding is loved and adored by everyone in South Asia. Vermicelli cooked in creamy milk and adorned with varieties of nuts and saffron is a must-have sweet on Eid.
My Ammi(mother) used to start making sheer khurma right after fajr(morning) prayer on the day of Eid. From a kid to adulthood, we never left home for Eid prayer without a bowl of sheer khurma.
The tradition of eating sheer khurma before Eid prayer is followed by every Muslim household in South Asia. Ammi used to serve this pudding with Puris(South Asian fried flatbread).
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What is Sheer Khurma?
Sheer khurma is a milk-based creamy pudding made with South Asian Vermicelli. Apparently, the name sheer khurma comes from Persian. Sheer is "milk" and khurma is "date" in Persian.
Difference between Sheer Khurma and Seviya?
Sheer khurma is creamy by adding milk or cream and adorned with dates, ghee, nuts, saffron, and cardamom. Seviya (vermicelli) is dry or creamy with milk and sugar.
What's in This Recipe?
A handful of ingredients and 20 minutes of your time to prepare a wonderful dessert for any celebration or for any day dessert craving. 😉
Dairy and Pantry Ingredients
- Milk: I am using 2% fat milk for this recipe. You may use full fat for a rich and creamy sheer khurma recipe.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: I like to create a rich and creamy texture of sheer khurma with heavy whipping cream. A lot of folks like to add condensed milk. You may use any. I highly recommend heavy whipping cream over the condensed milk recipe. Substitute heavy whipping cream with milk for a healthier version.
- Seviya: you can find seviya(vermicelli) at any Indian or Pakistani grocery store. Seviya is very thin, long, and takes only a few minutes to soften in hot milk.
- Sugar: I like my sheer khurma moderately sweet. I am using organic cane sugar for this recipe.
- Ghee: It is completely optional to roast the nuts and Seviya in ghee. Although roasting the nuts and seviya in ghee has a distinct flavors. Skip ghee roasting for a healthier version of sheer khurma.
Nuts and Spices
- Nuts: Ammi always added almonds, cashews, pistachios, and charoli(chironji). I like to use a good combination of all Ammi's favorite nuts and dates. You can add any nuts of your choice if you like.
- Cardamom: freshly ground cardamom adds a sweet aroma to this pudding. Grind the cardamom seeds If you have cardamom pods on hand. I don't recommend adding prepacked cardamom powder. Substitute with rose water or Valina if you do not have cardamom pods.
- Saffron: adding saffron is completely optional. I like the beautiful light saffron color and slight flower-like aroma in Eid sheer khurma.
How to Make Sheer Khurma?
This sheer khurma recipe is quick and easy. It can be prepared in less than 30 minutes to serve hot. It can be prepared a night before Eid and refrigerated to serve it chilled in the morning.
- Blanch the whole nuts in water overnight or by boiling them in a saucepan with water for 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Remove the nut skin and chop them or thinly slice them.
- Chop the dates into bite-size pieces and break the vermicelli stack into half or smaller.
- Take 1 to 2 tablespoons ghee in a skillet. Heat ghee on medium heat and add slivered nuts and dates. Roast while stirring continuously until nuts start to change color.
- Add broken vermicelli to the skillet and continue to roast nuts and vermicelli for 1 to 2 minutes or just until vermicelli becomes slightly brown.
- Grind cardamom seeds and saffron in a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.
- Combine milk, heavy whipping cream, sugar, cardamom and saffron in a large saucepan.
- Bring milk and cream to a boil on low-medium heat. Watch the milk and stir occasionally. Turn the heat down to low once you start to see the bubbles at the top, right along the edge. It takes about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Transfer ghee roasted nuts and vermicelli to the saucepan with the milk. Cook on low until vermicelli softens. Turn the heat off and set sheer khurma aside to cool down. Garnish with more nuts and edible flowers if desired.
- If you are planning to serve hot sheer khurma then continue to cook until the milk reaches your desired consistency.
Reduced Calory and Nut Free
I understand that not everyone can eat high-calorie fats and nuts due to underlying diseases or allergies. My older son is allergic to nuts that's why I like to ghee roast the nuts in a separate skillet instead of roasting them in the same saucepan before adding milk.
Below are a few suggestions to reduce the calories and make nut-free sheer khurma.
- I suggest using low-fat milk and subbing heavy cream with low-fat milk.
- Skip the ghee roasting for nuts and vermicelli. Add blanched nuts instead.
- For nut-free, roast the vermicelli in a saucepan with ghee then add milk and the rest of the ingredients. Cook on low until desired consistency.
- Always ghee roast nuts on a separate skillet if you are prepping sheer khurma for anyone with nut allergies or a potluck. Serve the nuts in a separate bowl.
How Can I Make This Recipe Gluten-Free?
Vermicelli is made with wheat flour. Adding cooked unsalted rice would make a great substitute for vermicelli. I have a dessert recipe for Carrot Pudding. It's gluten-free and made with carrots.
Storing Instructions
Store sheer khurma in a glass container in the refrigerator. It stays great for up to 1 ½ weeks.
More Dessert Recipes:
Kitchen Tools You’ll Need For This Recipe:
Sheer Khurma Recipe | Eid Seviya
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups milk , 2 % fat
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 65 grams Indian or Pakistani vermicelli (⅓ cup) , long and thin ones from South Asian grocery store
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom , freshly ground
- 6-8 strands of saffron
- ¼ cup almonds , blanched, skin removed and slivered
- ¼ cup cashews , blanched and chopped
- ¼ cup pistachios , blanched, skin removed and slivered
- 2 tablespoons dates , chopped
Instructions
- Blanch the whole nuts in water overnight or by boiling them in a saucepan with water for 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Remove the nut skin and chop them or thinly slice them.
- Chop the dates into bite-size pieces and break the vermicelli stack into half or smaller.
- Take 1 to 2 tablespoons of ghee in a skillet. Heat ghee on medium heat and add slivered nuts and dates. Roast while stirring continuously until nuts start to change color.
- Add broken vermicelli to the skillet and continue to roast nuts and vermicelli for 1 to 2 minutes or just until vermicelli becomes slightly brown.
- Coarsely grind cardamom seeds and saffron in a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.
- Combine milk, heavy whipping cream, sugar, cardamom, and saffron in a large saucepan. Stir well to combine.
- Bring milk mixture to a boil on low-medium heat. Watch the milk and stir occasionally. Turn the heat down to low once you start to see the bubbles at the top, right along the edge. It takes about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Transfer ghee roasted nuts and vermicelli to the saucepan with the milk. Cook on low until vermicelli softens. Turn the heat off and set sheer khurma aside to cool down. Garnish with more nuts and edible flowers if desired.
- If you are planning to serve hot sheer khurma then continue to cook until the milk reaches your desired consistency.
Anonymous says
Delicious
Anonymous says
Delicious for breakfast