Desserts

Sheer Khurma

Name: Sheer Khurma
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 litre full-fat milk; ½ cup fine vermicelli (seviyan); 2 tbsp ghee; ⅓ cup sugar, to taste; 8 dates, sliced; 3 tbsp mixed almonds, pistachios and cashews; 12 Baby Saffron threads; ½ tsp cardamom powder

The Eid-morning classic — fine vermicelli simmered in milk with dates, nuts and saffron until fragrant and rich. Made in big pots, shared in small bowls.

A bowl of sheer khurma with dates, nuts and saffron

10m

Prep

25m

Cook

Serves

Easy

Level

Ingredients

1 litre full-fat milk
½ cup fine vermicelli (seviyan)
2 tbsp ghee
⅓ cup sugar, to taste
8 dates, sliced
3 tbsp mixed almonds, pistachios and cashews
12 Baby Saffron threads
½ tsp cardamom powder

Method

1
Bloom the saffron in 1 tbsp warm milk for 10 minutes.
2
Roast the vermicelli in ghee until golden and set aside; lightly fry the nuts and dates in the same pan.
3
Bring the milk to a gentle simmer, add the vermicelli and cook until soft (5–7 minutes).
4
Stir in the sugar, cardamom, nuts, dates and bloomed saffron; simmer 5 minutes and serve warm or chilled.

The saffron tip

Bloom the saffron and stir it in near the end — a late addition keeps the colour bright and the aroma from cooking away in the long simmer.