Sheer Khurma (Vermicelli Milk Dates Pudding, Sheer Korma) is a traditional dessert that is a must-make for the festival of Eid. This vermicelli pudding is made by cooking fine vermicelli with ghee, milk, dates, and nuts (vegetarian).
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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 countries in Central Asia for Ramazan and 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 friends, who is a Muslim.
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 kheer, is effortless to make if you follow the measurements correctly. If not, it may either turn too thick or too thin.
The recipe can be easily halved, doubled, or tripled per your requirement.
Here are some more Indian dessert recipes you can make on Eid
- Bread Halwa
- Zafrani Pulao
- Seviyan Kheer
- Hyderabadi Double Ka Meetha
- Shahi Tukda
- Thandai Shahi Tukra
- Gulab Jamun
- Basundi
- Sabudana Kheer
- Semiya Payasam
- Carrot Halwa
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, then only 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, gives this sheer khorma a fantastic flavor. Try it once.
Sugar – Use white granulated sugar. It 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, it 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
- 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
to the pan and fry until they are lightly browned (3-4 minutes), stirring continuously.
Remove them to a plate using a slotted spoon.
Note – The nuts get burned in just a few seconds. So be very careful while frying them. Also, sliver 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 fry on low heat until they turn golden brown (3-4 minutes). Stir continuously while frying 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 ½ cup granulated white sugar, saffron soaked in milk, and ½ teaspoon green cardamom powder, and cook for another minute.
Serve it warm or chill it for a few hours before serving.
Instant Pot Sheer Khurma
Press SAUTE bottom of the instant pot and pour 3 tablespoon ghee.
Add the prepared nuts and dried fruits and fry 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 whole milk into the pot. Add the chopped dates, roasted nuts, and vermicelli, and stir gently. Close the lid of the pot 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 and stir gently.
Press SAUTE and cook for 3-4 minutes until the sugar is dissolved and sheer khurma has thickened. Serve hot or chilled.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is generally served warm, but I like to eat mine chilled. There are no rules to enjoying this dish. Just see what suits your fancy.
Some people add condensed milk to the sheer khorma to make it rich. You can reduce the quantity of milk in half and add condensed milk instead. In this case, do not add sugar, as condensed milk is sweet enough.
But I do not recommend adding condensed milk, as it alters the taste of traditional sheer kurma.
These desserts are made using similar ingredients but are still very different.
1. Sheer khurma is always made using fine vermicelli, while seviyan kheer can be made using thick or fine vermicelli.
2. Sheer khurma is thinner (almost drinkable), while sevai ki kheer is thick like a custard.
3. Ghee is added while making sheer korma and not sevai kheer.
4. Dates are a must-add in sheer khurma recipe while they are not added in sevai ki kheer.
Check out my detailed recipe to make seviyan kheer here.
Pro Tips By Neha
Use fine vermicelli specially made for making sheer korma. These are also called nylon vermicelli. You should be able to get it in an Indian store around you.
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 available easily sometimes, and it also goes bad soon. So if you wish, you can skip adding it.
Serving Suggestions
This popular dessert is made for Eid festivities. It is served hot after Eid prayer to the family and visiting guests. I have fond memories of relishing it at my Muslim friend’s house on Eid morning, along with biryani and kormas.
You can also make sheer korma on regular days, as it is very easy to make and comes together in no time using a few simple ingredients.
You can also serve it chilled instead of hot.
Storage Suggestions
Sheer khurma stays good in the refrigerator for almost 2-3 days when stored in an airtight container. Do not leave it outside for more than 8 hours.
This can be frozen in a freezer-safe box for about 2 months. When ready to eat, thaw it on the counter for 2-3 hours and then micro it until it is warm.
You can also heat it over the stovetop on medium heat. If it has thickened, then add some more milk while heating.
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Recipe Card
Sheer Khurma Recipe (Vermicelli Milk Dates Pudding)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons ghee (divided)
- 3-4 cloves (laung)
- 10-12 thickly slivered almonds
- 10-12 halved cashew nuts
- 10-12 whole raisins
- 2 tablespoons thickly slivered unsalted pistachios
- 2 tablespoons chironji
- 3.5 ounce fine vermicelli (100 g, broken into 2-3 inch long pieces)
- 1 and ½ litres whole milk (full- fat milk)
- 5-6 finely chopped seedless dates
- ½ cup sugar (add more or less according to your liking)
- 15-20 strands saffron (soaked in 2 tablespoon warm milk for 1 hour)
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
Instructions
Fry The Nuts
- Heat 3 tablespoons of ghee in a large, heavy bottom pan over low heat.
- Once the ghee is hot, add cloves, almonds, cashew nuts, raisins, pistachios, and chironji to the pan and fry until lightly browned (3-4 minutes), stirring continuously.
- Remove them to a plate using a slotted spoon.
- Note – The nuts get burned in just a few seconds. So be very careful while frying them. Also, sliver 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 fry on low heat until they turn light brown (3-4 minutes). Stir continuously while frying to avoid them from burning at the bottom of the pan.
- Remove on a plate.
- Increase the heat to medium.
- Add milk and 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 vermicelli is softened and khurma is slightly thickened. Stir frequently while cooking to prevent scorching at the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in sugar, saffron soaked in milk, and cardamom powder, and cook for another minute.
- Serve it warm or chill it for a few hours before serving.
ankita suman
Thank you for the awesome recipe…it just came out perfect….please post more iftar recipe..and the recipes which we can make on eid…take care
Sana Batool
what a wonderful Recipe thanks for sharing this amazing Recipe ….I am going to try this one soon.
msnehamathur
Thnx a lot Sana
Neha Mathur
Yes, these are dried rose petals.
Roshan Ali Idrisi
How much cost and ingredant required for 40 person
Neha Mathur
This recipe serves 6-8 people. You can multiply it according to your need. I have not calculated the cost so no idea.