Sheer Khurma Recipe

4.65 from 17 votes

Sheer Khurma (also known as Sheer Korma) is a traditional dessert originating from the Indian subcontinent, Afghanistan, and parts of Central Asia, typically prepared to celebrate the Eid festival. This vermicelli pudding is made by cooking fine vermicelli with ghee, milk, dates, and nuts. Make it using my easy recipe.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: people

Author: Neha Mathur

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 ounces 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

US Customary - Metric

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 roast until lightly browned (3-4 minutes), stirring continuously.
Remove them to a plate using a slotted spoon.
Note - The nuts get from perfectly browned to burned in just a few seconds, so be very careful while roasting them. Also, slice them thickly and not finely. They will continue to brown 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 they turn light brown (3-4 minutes). Stir continuously while roasting to avoid them from burning at the bottom of the pan.
Remove to 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 an additional 10-12 minutes until the vermicelli is softened and the 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 an additional minute.
Serve it warm or chill it for a few hours before serving.

Video

Notes

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

The consistency of sheer khurma is a personal preference. Most people make it slightly thin in consistency, which can be sipped directly from the bowl. But if you like it thick, custard-like in consistency, then reduce the amount of milk in the recipe.

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.

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

Nutrition