Pasha Vermicelli 120g

How to Make Sheer Khurma for Eid

Chef Pasha
The short answer

Sheer khurma is a milk and date pudding made with fine vermicelli, cooked for Eid morning. Simmer 1 liter of whole milk with dates and cardamom for 12 minutes. Add 60 g of roasted vermicelli and cook 4 minutes more. Serves 4 to 6.

30 minStart to table
4 minVermicelli cooking time
4 to 6Servings from one pot

Key points

  • Sheer khurma means milk and dates in Persian.
  • The vermicelli needs four minutes, no more.
  • Whole milk gives the dish its body.
  • Fry the nuts first, add them last.
  • It thickens as it rests, so pull it off early.

In most South Asian homes this is the first thing eaten on Eid morning. Often before anyone has properly sat down.

It is warm and sweet. It is thin enough to drink from the cup if you are in a hurry, which on Eid morning you usually are.

What you need

  • 1 literWhole milk
  • 60 gFine roasted vermicelli, about half a pack of Pasha Vermicelli
  • 10Dried dates, sliced, or 8 soft dates
  • 60 gSugar, to taste
  • 2 tbspGhee
  • 30 gAlmonds, pistachios and cashews, slivered
  • 1 tbspRaisins
  • 4 podsGreen cardamom, lightly crushed
  • OptionalA pinch of saffron, and 2 tbsp condensed milk for a richer pot

Pasha Vermicelli is already roasted. It needs a minute in ghee, not five. An unroasted pack needs toasting until evenly golden.

Timing at a glance

Step Time What you are looking for
Fry nuts and raisins 2 min Nuts turn gold, raisins swell
Toast the vermicelli 1 min It smells toasty, color barely changes
Simmer the milk 12 min Reduced slightly, cardamom fragrant
Add dates and sugar 5 min Dates soften, milk takes their color
Add the vermicelli 4 min Soft but still separate
Rest off the heat 10 min Thickens to a pouring consistency

Method

  1. Fry the nuts first. Warm the ghee in a heavy pan. Add the nuts and raisins. Stir for 2 minutes until the nuts turn gold. Lift them out and keep them for the end.
  2. Give the vermicelli a minute. In the same ghee, stir it for about a minute. It is already roasted, so this is about coating it, not coloring it.
  3. Simmer the milk. In a separate pan, bring the milk and cardamom to a gentle simmer. Hold it there for 12 minutes. Stir now and then so the bottom does not catch.
  4. Add the dates and sugar. Simmer 5 minutes more. The dates soften and the milk takes on their color.
  5. Add the vermicelli. Cook for 4 minutes only. Past that it turns to paste.
  6. Rest before serving. Take the pan off the heat. Scatter the nuts and saffron over. Leave it 10 minutes. Serve warm, or chilled the next day.

Four things that go wrong

Mistake What happens Fix
Cooking the vermicelli too long It collapses into paste Four minutes. It keeps softening off the heat
Using low fat milk Thin, watery pot Whole milk, and the full 12 minute simmer
Adding nuts at the start They go soft and lose the point Fry them first, add them last
Sweetening too early Cloying, once the dates release sugar Taste after the dates go in, then decide

About the vermicelli

Sheer khurma lives or dies on the vermicelli. Too thick and it becomes a noodle pudding. Too long in the pot and it collapses.

Pasha Vermicelli is milled fine and roasted before packing. That is why four minutes is enough, and why the strands stay separate.

One 120 g pack makes this recipe twice over, which is about right for Eid week.

Shop Pasha Vermicelli

Questions people ask

What does sheer khurma mean?
Milk and dates, in Persian. The name travelled with the dish across South Asia and stayed.
What is the difference between sheer khurma and seviyan?
Sheer khurma is the richer one: more milk, dates and nuts, served like a thin pudding. Plain seviyan is drier and cooked mainly in sugar and ghee.
Can I make it the night before?
Yes, and many families do. It thickens in the fridge. Loosen it with a splash of warm milk.
Do I need to roast the vermicelli first?
Not if the pack is already roasted, as Pasha Vermicelli is. A minute in ghee is enough.
Can I make it without sugar?
Yes. Use more dates and taste as you go. Dried dates bring a good deal of sweetness on their own.
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