When Suja published her desire to feature guest posts, I was the first one to pounce on it with a comment. I love her blog, Pepperbowl, for various reasons. She does full justice to her tagline – A cookbook with tingling recipes. And it does not fail to tingle anywhere! Each recipe of hers is a treat to the eyes. I love her photographs and the simple way that she goes through each and every recipe. It is a pleasure to be writing this guest post for her…
After a lot of thinking, I decided to give her a kheer which is normally served during special occasions such as Eid and marriages in the Muslim community in parts of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. “Sheer Khurma”, which basically means “milk in dates”, is a type of thick vermicelli pudding with lots of nuts and dried dates. Though not very popular in Kerala – the place wher I hail from, having lived my life in UAE has got me accustomed to a lot of flavors and definitely Sheer Khurma is one of my favorite desserts to make when I have guests coming in. Vermicelli is always a winner and adding the nuts and rose water takes the dessert to a different level.
To have a look at the recipe and for the post, do hop on to Suja's space here. Hope you enjoy the post as much I have!
Sheer Khurma – Thick Vermicelli Pudding
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
1.5 ltr milk
200 gm thin vermicelli
2 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp cashewnuts, slit
2 tbsp pistachio .,.,kernels, chopped
2 tbsp almonds, chopped
1 tbsp raisins
6 dry dates
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1 tbsp rose water
1/2 cup sugar
Method:
Heat ghee in a saucepan. Add in the nuts and fry briefly for a minute. Drain and set aside. Fry the raisins till puffed, set aside. Soak the dry dates in hot water, chop it into small pieces.
Now add in the vermicelli and sauté till it becomes crisp. Ensure not to burn or brown it. Sautéing on low flame for around 5 minutes is sufficient. Now add in the milk, cardamom and sugar and allow the milk to boil. Once boiled, leave it on medium flame and continuously cook till the milk shrinks to half and the vermicelli is completely cooked. Keep stirring in between to avoid it sticking to the pan.
Add in the fried nuts, raisins, dry dates and rose water and mix well. Adjust the salt. Serve warm or cold, as you like it – both ways, it tastes delicious!
Sheer Khurma – Thick Vermicelli Pudding
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
1.5 ltr milk
200 gm thin vermicelli
2 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp cashewnuts, slit
2 tbsp pistachio .,.,kernels, chopped
2 tbsp almonds, chopped
1 tbsp raisins
6 dry dates
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1 tbsp rose water
1/2 cup sugar
Method:
Heat ghee in a saucepan. Add in the nuts and fry briefly for a minute. Drain and set aside. Fry the raisins till puffed, set aside. Soak the dry dates in hot water, chop it into small pieces.
Now add in the vermicelli and sauté till it becomes crisp. Ensure not to burn or brown it. Sautéing on low flame for around 5 minutes is sufficient. Now add in the milk, cardamom and sugar and allow the milk to boil. Once boiled, leave it on medium flame and continuously cook till the milk shrinks to half and the vermicelli is completely cooked. Keep stirring in between to avoid it sticking to the pan.
Add in the fried nuts, raisins, dry dates and rose water and mix well. Adjust the salt. Serve warm or cold, as you like it – both ways, it tastes delicious!