Eid special Sheer khurma | Sheer Khurma seviyan | How to make Sheer Khurma

Sheer khurma is one of the most popular classic desserts in the subcontinents of South Asia. It is a traditional dessert which is also considered the heart of the Eid festival. The celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr without sheer khurma or Kimami seviyan is next to impossible. This Eid ki seviyan is rich, creamy, fragrant, utterly delectable and easy to make. In this preparation, ghee-roasted vermicelli aka sewai is cooked in milk, dates, mawa, sugar, flavouring agents like saffron, rose water, cardamom powder and lots of dry fruits. This spectacular dessert has been bringing smiles to everyone’s faces for years during the festive season with its warmth, comfort and irresistible taste. It can be served warm or chilled as a dessert after a meal or simply as a sweet snack.

About the recipe
Tips and Suggestions
How to make Sheer Khurma (step wise photos)
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Sheer khurma is a Persian delight which is hugely popular in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Middle Eastern countries. The word ‘sheer’ means ‘milk’ and ‘khurma’ means ‘dates’. In short, it refers to milk with dates. It is also popular as Eid ki meethi seviyan, Eid ki seviyan, Eid sevai recipe etc. Sheer khurma is a sweet, creamy, super-rich, delicious vermicelli pudding recipe prepared with a lot of ghee, dry fruits, mawa and of course dates on special occasions like Eid festival, shab-e-barat etc.

Though I don’t belong to a Muslim family but since my nursery days, I am having this delight every year. All the thanks go to my best friend’s (Shanaz’s) mom who used to prepare the world’s best Eid ki meethi seviyan every year on the festival of Eid. I still remember how I used to wait for the extra tiffin box that she used to carry for me after Eid during my school days. Those are the golden moments of my life which always makes me feel nostalgic.

When I prepared the Eid special sheer khurma for the first time, it was fabulous in taste but not the same as that prepared by Shanaz’s mom (Khala). But after a few attempts, I have cracked it and prepared sheer khurma exactly like her which drove me to my childhood memories. I have learnt from my mistakes and now with practice, I have got expertise in preparing it.

My husband and daughter just loved it and couldn’t stop to devour. They thoroughly admired my cooking. Now, it has become a tradition to prepare sheer khurma recipe on Eid ul Fitr in our house due to my husband’s demand.

Sheer khurma is a very simple and easy recipe and the difficulty level of preparing this Eid special dessert recipe is low. The ingredients required to prepare the dish are easily available in Indian kitchen pantries. The best part of the recipe is that it can be prepared in large quantities without investing much effort or time. So, sheer khurma sewai can be a great option as dessert at small parties and get-togethers, other than the Eid festival.

As it is a festive dessert, it requires a little bit of preparation in gathering all the ingredients before cooking, like so many varieties of dry fruits and mawa which we cannot find in our kitchen regularly. So, I always shop a few days before planning to prepare Eid special sheer khurma.

Seviyan aka vermicelli: The primary ingredient of the recipe which provides body to the dessert. Always use a fine variety of seviyan for the recipe.

Milk: Another important ingredient of the recipe in which the vermicelli gets cooked. Always use full-fat milk for the Eid special dessert recipe.

Dates: It is a very important ingredient in the sheer khurma recipe. It provides taste, flavour and a nice colour to the dessert.

Sugar: It adds sweetness to the dessert.

Ghee aka clarified butter: Ghee is used to roast the vermicelli and dry fruits of the recipe. The seviyan does not stick to each other because of ghee.

Dry fruits: You can use your choice of dry fruits for the recipe. I have used raisins, cashew nuts, pistachios, almonds chironji for the recipe.

Mawa: The addition of mawa is completely optional. You can skip using it and instead of that cook the milk for longer to thicken it. The addition of mawa saves time to cook the sheer khurma and adds richness to the dish.

Flavouring agent: Sheer khurma is a fragrant dessert and saffron, cardamom powder and rose water is used to flavour up the dessert.

The primary rule to preparing perfect sheer khurma is the fine variety of sewai aka vermicelli must be used. The thick seviyan won’t give you perfect texture. The vermicelli has to be roasted in ghee perfectly before adding to the milk. The vermicelli can be roasted in edible oil but the usage of ghee takes the dessert to the next level.

Sheer khurma cannot be prepared without dates. So it’s a must. The dates need to be cooked with the milk so the colour of the milk turns slightly nutty. Full-fat milk works best for the recipe. After all, it’s a festive dessert so you can cheat a bit in your diet.

A good amount of dates and raisins are added in sheer khurma and they are sweet in taste. So be careful during the time of adding sugar. Add sugar slowly and check before adding further.

Many people get confused between seviyan kheer and sheer khurma. Both desserts are similar to each other and the primary ingredients of both of them are the same. But still, these two classic desserts are not the same.

• Seviyan kheer can be prepared with thin or medium-thick vermicelli. But sheer khurma must be cooked with a fine variety of vermicelli.
• Dates are not used in seviyan kheer but it’s a must to add dates in sheer khurma.
• In seviyan kheer, cardamom powder or saffron is used for flavouring but in sheer khurma, rose water is also added for flavouring other than these two flavouring agents.
• In seviyan kheer, the addition of dry fruits is completely optional but in sheer khurma, a handsome amount of chopped dry fruits is added for flavour and bite.

Sheer khurma step-by-step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instruction’ section of the recipe. I have included all the tips and tricks below to make the recipe easier for you on your very first attempt. If you follow each step of my recipe precisely then you will get sheer khurma seviyan with perfect consistency. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share a few interesting facts about the main ingredient of the recipe.

Seviyan is basically a Hindi or Urdu name for vermicelli.

• There are many different types of seviyan (vermicelli) available in the market. One type is roasted, and the other type is non-roasted.
• Among these two categories, there are further sub-varieties of seviyan (vermicelli) available with different thicknesses.
• One is very thin in texture which is considered as size zero and other types are moderately thin and thick.
• For sheer khurma recipe, the thin variety of seviyan is used.

• It gets cooked quickly without any hassle. For this reason, it is a great option for busy festive days and sudden guests.
• It is a very popular dessert for the Eid festive season. Usually during festivals, we need to prepare multiple numbers of desserts. Such an easy-to-make but super delicious and rich dessert helps a lot to reach the goal.
• It can be prepared one day before the festival in advance. The sewai absorbs the flavour of the milk completely and becomes more fragrant.

• Always use a fine variety of seviyan for the recipe. It will give you the best texture.
• Break the sewai aka vermicelli into small pieces before frying or else it will be difficult to fry them evenly. I always prefer to break the vermicelli inside the sealed packet for a lesser mess.
• You can roast the seviyan (vermicelli) in any edible oil like olive oil, vegetable oil, sunflower oil or butter. But clarified butter (ghee) goes best with the recipe. It gives the perfect aroma to the dish.
• Stir continuously during the time of frying the sewai aka vermicelli or else a few may get burnt and a few others may not get fried evenly.
• Always use a heavy bottom non-stick pan to prepare the dessert recipe or else it may stick to the bottom during the time of slow cooking.
• Always use full-fat milk for the recipe to get the best result.
• The addition of dates in sheer khurma is a must. Don’t skip it.
• Add flavouring agents like cardamom, saffron streaks, rose water or kewra water into the milk for a better aroma.
• Always slow-cook the recipe on medium-low or low flame or else it may stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Don’t skip mawa from the recipe. It provides richness and texture to the dessert.
• A good amount of dates and raisins are added in sheer khurma. So add sugar slowly and check.
• You can use dry fruits of your own choice for additional flavour, taste and bite.

To prepare sheer khurma, first, soak pistachios and almonds in warm water for an hour and peel off their skin. Chop the cashew nuts and peeled almonds, pistachios and keep them aside.

If you are not using pitted dates then deseed them and then cut them roughly and keep them aside.

Take ¼ cup warm milk into a bowl and add some saffron streaks into it. The saffron will release its colour and flavour into the milk.

Break the sewai aka vermicelli into small pieces and keep them.

Now take a heavy bottom non-stick pan and add 2 tablespoons of ghee into it. Once the ghee melts, add the raisins to the pan and fry them over low flame until they plump up. Transfer them to a separate plate. Then add the chopped nuts- cashew, pistachios, almonds, chironji into the pan and fry them over low flame for 3-4 minutes until a nice nutty aroma comes up. Then transfer the dry fruits into a separate plate and keep it aside for later use.

In the same pan, add 2 more tablespoons of ghee and allow it to melt. Add the broken vermicelli aka sewai into the pan and fry them on low flame for 7-8 minutes till golden brown. Stir them continuously for frying them evenly. Transfer the seviyan into a separate bowl. If you keep the seviyan in the hot pan then they may burn.

I have used full-fat milk for the Eid special sheer khurma. Take a heavy bottom pan and add milk to boil. Once the milk boils, add the chopped dates to the milk. Cook the milk on low to medium-low flame for 8-10 minutes and reduce it to almost 80%.

Then add mawa to the milk and cook it over medium-low flame until the mawa gets mixed with the milk completely and the milk thickens slightly.

Add the roasted vermicelli aka seviyan into the pan and mix it well. Cook it over low to medium-low flame for around 10 minutes until the seviyan gets cooked and you get the desired consistency. Stir it continuously or else it may stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add sugar into the pan and mix it well. Initially when the sugar melts the consistency of the sheer khurma turns runny.

At this point, add the ghee-roasted cashew, pistachios, almonds, chironji, raisins and saffron-soaked milk into the pan and mix it well. Cook it over low flame until you get the desired consistency. Always remember the sheer khurma turns thick once cools down. So it is always better to stop cooking when the consistency of sheer khurma is slightly runnier than the desired consistency.

At the final stage, add rose water and cardamom powder to the pan and mix it well. Turn off the flame. Allow the sheer khurma to come to room temperature and now it’s ready to serve.

Many festive dessert recipes have already been shared in my previous posts. You can check a few of them like

Kimami sewai
Seviyan kheer
Carrot kheer
Kesar Phirni

..And Many more…

1 cup = 250ml

• 2 litre full-fat Milk
• 2 cups fine Vermicelli aka Seviyan
• 1 cup Sugar
• 4 tablespoons Ghee aka clarified Butter
• 100 grams Mawa aka milk solids
• 15-16 Dates aka Khajur, pitted
• 20 Cashew nuts, chopped
• 20 Almonds, chopped
• 20 Pistachios, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Raisins
• 2 tablespoons Chironji
• 10-12 Saffron streaks
• ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder (Elaichi powder)
• ½ tablespoon Rosewater

1. First soak 20 pistachios and 20 almonds in warm water for an hour and then drain the water. Peel off the skin of the nuts. Chop 20 cashew nuts and peeled almonds, pistachios and keep them aside.
2. If you are not using pitted dates then deseed around 15-16 dates and then cut them roughly into pieces and keep them aside.
3. Take ¼ cup warm milk into a bowl and add 10-12 saffron streaks into it. The saffron will release its colour and flavour into the milk.
4. Break the sewai aka vermicelli into small pieces and keep them.
5. Now, take a heavy bottom non-stick pan and add 2 tablespoons of ghee into it.
6. Once the ghee melts, add 2 tablespoons of raisins to the pan and fry them over low flame until they plump up. Transfer them to a separate plate.
7. Add the chopped nuts – cashew, pistachios, almonds, chironji into the pan and fry them over low flame for 3-4 minutes until a nice nutty aroma comes up. I didn’t have chironji. So, I skipped it. Then transfer the dry fruits to a separate plate and keep it aside for later use.
8. In the same pan, add 2 more tablespoons of ghee and allow it to melt.
9. Add 2 cups broken vermicelli aka sewai into the pan and fry them on low flame for 7-8 minutes till golden brown. Stir them continuously for frying them evenly. Transfer the seviyan into a separate bowl. Note: If you keep the seviyan into the hot pan then they may burn.
10. Take a heavy bottom pan and add 2 litres of milk to boil.
11. Once the milk boils, add the chopped dates to the milk. Cook the milk on low to medium-low flame for 8-10 minutes and reduce it to almost 80%.
12. Add 100 grams of mawa into the milk and cook it over medium-low flame until the mawa gets mixed with the milk evenly and the milk thickens slightly. The addition of mawa is completely optional. Note: If mawa is added to the milk then it thickens faster. You can skip mawa but then you have to cook the milk for longer to thicken it.
13. Add the roasted vermicelli aka seviyan into the pan and mix it well. Cook it over low to medium-low flame for around 10 minutes until the seviyan gets cooked and you get the desired consistency. Stir it continuously or else it may stick to the bottom of the pan.
14. Add 1 cup sugar to the pan and mix it well. You can adjust the amount of sugar according to your taste. Initially, when the sugar melts the consistency of the sheer khurma turns runny.
15. At this point, add the ghee-roasted cashew, pistachios, almonds, chironji, raisins and saffron-soaked milk (step 3) into the pan and mix it well.
16. Cook it over low flame until you get the desired consistency. Always remember the sheer khurma turns thick once cools down. So it is always better to stop cooking when the consistency of sheer khurma is slightly runnier than the desired consistency.
17. At the final stage, add ½ tablespoon rose water and ½ teaspoon cardamom powder into the pan and mix it well.
18. Turn off the flame. Allow the sheer khurma to come to room temperature and now it’s ready to serve.

Serve the sheer khurma in serving bowls or on serving plates. Serve it at room temperature or chilled as a dessert or as an evening snack. Enjoy the classic dessert with your family and friends at the festival of Eid.

After cooling down the sheer khurma to room temperature, transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate it. In this way, you can store the dessert for 3-4 days.

Eid special Sheer khurma | Sheer Khurma seviyan | How to make Sheer Khurma

Serves: 10 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 30 Minutes 30 Minutes

Nutrition facts: NA calories NA fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

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Ingredients

1 cup = 250ml

• 2 litre full-fat Milk
• 2 cups fine Vermicelli aka Seviyan
• 1 cup Sugar
• 4 tablespoons Ghee aka clarified Butter
• 100 grams Mawa aka milk solids
• 15-16 Dates aka Khajur, pitted
• 20 Cashew nuts, chopped
• 20 Almonds, chopped
• 20 Pistachios, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Raisins
• 2 tablespoons Chironji
• 10-12 Saffron streaks
• ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder (Elaichi powder)
• ½ tablespoon Rosewater

Instructions

1. First soak 20 pistachios and 20 almonds in warm water for an hour and then drain the water. Peel off the skin of the nuts. Chop 20 cashew nuts and peeled almonds, pistachios and keep them aside.
2. If you are not using pitted dates then deseed around 15-16 dates and then cut them roughly into pieces and keep them aside.
3. Take ¼ cup warm milk into a bowl and add 10-12 saffron streaks into it. The saffron will release its colour and flavour into the milk.
4. Break the sewai aka vermicelli into small pieces and keep them.
5. Now, take a heavy bottom non-stick pan and add 2 tablespoons of ghee into it.
6. Once the ghee melts, add 2 tablespoons of raisins to the pan and fry them over low flame until they plump up. Transfer them to a separate plate.
7. Add the chopped nuts - cashew, pistachios, almonds, chironji into the pan and fry them over low flame for 3-4 minutes until a nice nutty aroma comes up. I didn’t have chironji. So, I skipped it. Then transfer the dry fruits to a separate plate and keep it aside for later use.
8. In the same pan, add 2 more tablespoons of ghee and allow it to melt.
9. Add 2 cups broken vermicelli aka sewai into the pan and fry them on low flame for 7-8 minutes till golden brown. Stir them continuously for frying them evenly. Transfer the seviyan into a separate bowl. Note: If you keep the seviyan into the hot pan then they may burn.
10. Take a heavy bottom pan and add 2 litres of milk to boil.
11. Once the milk boils, add the chopped dates to the milk. Cook the milk on low to medium-low flame for 8-10 minutes and reduce it to almost 80%.
12. Add 100 grams of mawa into the milk and cook it over medium-low flame until the mawa gets mixed with the milk evenly and the milk thickens slightly. The addition of mawa is completely optional. Note: If mawa is added to the milk then it thickens faster. You can skip mawa but then you have to cook the milk for longer to thicken it.
13. Add the roasted vermicelli aka seviyan into the pan and mix it well. Cook it over low to medium-low flame for around 10 minutes until the seviyan gets cooked and you get the desired consistency. Stir it continuously or else it may stick to the bottom of the pan.
14. Add 1 cup sugar to the pan and mix it well. You can adjust the amount of sugar according to your taste. Initially, when the sugar melts the consistency of the sheer khurma turns runny.
15. At this point, add the ghee-roasted cashew, pistachios, almonds, chironji, raisins and saffron-soaked milk (step 3) into the pan and mix it well.
16. Cook it over low flame until you get the desired consistency. Always remember the sheer khurma turns thick once cools down. So it is always better to stop cooking when the consistency of sheer khurma is slightly runnier than the desired consistency.
17. At the final stage, add ½ tablespoon rose water and ½ teaspoon cardamom powder into the pan and mix it well.
18. Turn off the flame. Allow the sheer khurma to come to room temperature and now it’s ready to serve.