Our foodie, Sonali, shares an Eid recipe, Sheer Khurma. It’s a traditional dessert that is prepared on this day. It’s a vermicelli pudding made with milk and sweetened with dates. Read more about it, in the weekly column, exclusively in Different Truths.  

I had some friends in school who were from different cultures. I learned so much from them about their traditions and culture, their lifestyle and food. During the lunch break, we used to sit together and share our food. It was so much fun to taste all the food of different cultures at once as in a buffet table. Whenever there was a festival, we used to bring at least one traditional dessert. I grew up tasting Sheer Khurma brought by my friend, Nazma, after the celebration of Eid. I used to look forward to this delectable mildly sweet dessert laden with dry fruits and nuts.

Eid ul Fitar is just around the corner, the end of the month-long fasting. The day is celebrated with family and friends with lots of great food. One of the desserts that are traditionally prepared on this day is Sheer Khurma, vermicelli pudding made with milk and sweetened with dates.

The dessert is very simple and you may add any nuts of your choice. You may add condensed milk to make it richer but I have kept it simple. A special kind of super fine vermicelli is used in the making but I did not have access to it, so I used the regular one. Here is how to make it.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes                                                         Cooking Time: 20 -25 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

4 cups full fat/ whole milk

½ cup vermicelli/sewiyan

2 tablespoons ghee

2 tablespoons raisins

¼ cup mixed nuts (cashew, almonds, and pistachios)

5-6 dates

¾ cup sugar

2-3 green cardamoms

1 small pinch Kesar/ Saffron

Method

In a heavy bottomed pan, boil the milk at medium heat until ¾ the quantity. Stir in between. Add the green cardamoms. While the milk is boiling, chop the nuts and de-seed the dates and keep aside.

In a small frying pan heat the ghee. Add the chopped nuts and raisins and fry until light golden brown in color. Drain and set aside. Add the vermicelli/sewiyan in the remaining ghee and roast until light golden in color.

Add the roasted vermicelli in the boiling milk and cook until the vermicelli is soft. Add the sugar and dates and mix well. Add the Kesar and chopped nuts, reserving a tablespoon for garnish. Mix well. Cook for 5 more minutes and switch off the flame. Bring to room temperature and chill before serving.

Serve in individual bowls and garnish with chopped nuts. Enjoy!

Tips

While boiling the milk make sure to stir in between. Adding of Kesar is optional but it imparts a nice color and flavor to the dessert.

©Sonali Chakraborty

Photos by the author

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Sonali Chakraborty

Sonali Chakraborty is a food blogger, self-taught food photographer and stylist. She is a true Bong at heart. She loves to travel and listen to music.