Sheer Khurma (Vermicelli Milk Dates Pudding)

About Sheer Khurma

Sheer Khurma (Vermicelli Milk Dates Pudding, Sheer Korma) is a traditional Persian dessert that is a must-make for the Muslim festival of Eid.

This vermicelli pudding is made in the Indian subcontinent, Afghanistan, and some Central Asian countries for Ramazan, especially Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha.

Sheer means milk in Persian, and khurma means dates. This dessert translates to ‘milk cooked with dates’ in English.

This rich and creamy sweet dish is made by cooking fine vermicelli (sevai) with ghee, milk, dates, and nuts. Each house has its way of making sheer korma, and in this post, I am sharing the recipe I learned from the mom of one of my childhood Muslim friends.

She makes the best sheer khurma and Mutton Biryani. I fondly remember visiting their house every Eid and having my fill of her excellent food. I am so glad I learned the recipe from her and can now share it with you.

Sheer Khurma, just like Rice Kheer, is effortless if you follow the measurements correctly. If not, it may either turn too thick or too thin.

Ingredients

Vermicelli – You will need fine vermicelli (seviyan) to make authentic sheer korma. Please do not use regular vermicelli.

Look out for nylon or fine vermicelli, which are very fine in thickness. You should be able to get them in a local Indian grocery store or on online portals like Amazon.

If, in the worst case, fine vermicelli is not available, only then use regular vermicelli.

Milk – Always use whole milk (full-fat milk) to make this dish.

Dates – Buy seedless dates of the best quality.

Ghee – Ghee makes this dessert rich and luscious. Do not reduce its quantity if you want a perfect sheer korma.

Saffron – Adding saffron is optional, giving the dish a unique aroma and taste.

Cloves – Cloves (laung), when added to ghee, give this sheer khorma a fantastic flavor. Try it once.

Sugar – Use white granulated sugar. This dessert will not taste good with jaggery or any other sweetener.

Cardamom Powder – Flavor this vermicelli kheer with cardamom powder (elaichi powder).

Nuts and Dried Fruits – Nuts and dried fruits give a lovely crunch to sheer korma. I have added almonds, cashew nuts, raisins, pistachios, and chironji seeds (charoli seeds).

Note – Some people blanch and peel the nuts, and some don’t. I have had both versions, and both methods are equally good. I feel that blanching and peeling the nuts is not worth the effort. It makes almost no change in taste and also reduces their nutritional value.

If chironji is not available readily, you can skip adding it.

Others – You can add khoya or milk powder to make the sheer kurma thicker and creamier. However, this is not traditional. You can also add rose water or kewra essence to flavor it. Add some dried rose petals to make it extra royal.

How To Make Sheer Khurma

Preparation

Soak 15-20 strands of saffron in 2 tablespoon warm milk and set aside for an hour.

Fine vermicelli comes in long strands. Break 3.5 oz (100 g) of fine vermicelli into 2-3 inch pieces.

Thickly sliver 10-12 almonds and 2 tablespoon unsalted pistachios. Do not sliver thinly; otherwise, they might burn while frying. Break 10-12 cashew nuts into half.

Finely chop 5-6 seedless dates.

Gather all the remaining ingredients.

Fry The Nuts

Heat 3 tablespoon ghee over low heat in a large, heavy bottom pan.

Once the ghee is hot, add the following ingredients to the pan and roast until lightly browned (3-4 minutes), stirring continuously.

• 3-4 whole cloves
• 10-12 thickly slivered almonds
• 10-12 halved cashew nuts
• 10-12 whole raisins
• 2 tablespoon thickly slivered unsalted pistachios
• 2 tablespoon chironji

Remove them to a plate using a slotted spoon.

Note – The nuts get burned in just a few seconds, so be very careful while roasting them. Also, slice them thickly and not finely. They will keep browning in the residual heat, so remove them from the pan when they turn light brown.

Make Sheer Khorma

Add 1 tablespoon ghee and vermicelli to the same pan and roast on low heat until golden brown (3-4 minutes). Stir continuously while roasting to prevent them from burning at the bottom of the pan.

Remove on a plate.

Increase the heat to medium.

Add 1 and ½ liters of whole milk and 5-6 chopped seedless dates to the same pan and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the roasted vermicelli and roasted nuts to the pan and cook for another 10-12 minutes until the vermicelli is softened and khurma is slightly thickened. Stir frequently while cooking to prevent scorching at the bottom of the pan.

Stir in the following ingredients and cook for another minute.

• ½ cup granulated white sugar
• saffron soaked in milk
• ½ teaspoon green cardamom powder

Serve it warm or chill it for a few hours before serving.

Instant Pot Sheer Khurma

Press the SAUTE bottom of the instant pot and pour 3 tablespoon ghee.

Add the prepared nuts and dried fruits and roast them until they turn slightly browned (3-4 minutes). Take them out on a plate.

Add another tablespoon of ghee and 100 g vermicelli and roast until browned. Remove on a plate.

Pour 1 liter of whole milk into the pot. Add the chopped dates, roasted nuts, and vermicelli, and stir gently. Close the pot lid and set the valve to the sealing position.

Press CANCEL and then press PRESSURE COOK. Set the timer to 1 minute at high pressure. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.

Release the remaining pressure manually by moving the valve to the venting position.

Open the lid and add sugar, cardamom powder, and saffron soaked in milk. Stir gently.

Press SAUTE and cook for 3-4 minutes until the sugar is dissolved and sheer khurma has thickened. Serve hot or chilled.

Pro Tips By Neha

Use fine vermicelli, also called nylon vermicelli, specially made for making sheer korma. You should be able to get it in an Indian store nearby.

Use full-fat milk (whole milk) to make this sweet. It will thicken to creamy goodness, increasing the taste of the dessert.

The use of dates is a must while making sheer khorma. Use seedless dates and chop them into small pieces before adding them to the milk.

You can also add or skip adding saffron. Adding saffron makes it richer and more flavorful, but skipping it would also give a different yet delicious version.

Some people like their sheer khorma thin, and some like it thick. You can adjust the consistency by adding less or more milk.

Chironji is not always easily available and goes bad quickly, so you can skip adding it.