Sheer Khurma Recipe (Milk, Vermicelli & Dates Sweet)
Sheer Khurma (also known as Sheer Khorma) is a rich, decadent, traditional dessert of a creamy vermicelli pudding made during the festive occasion of Eid al-Fitr in the South Asian countries of India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan. In the Persian language ‘Sheer‘ or ‘Shir‘ means milk and ‘Khurma‘ means dates. This creamy and delish Sheer Khurma recipe is made with milk, dates, nuts and dry fruits, wheat vermicelli and flavorings like rose water, saffron or cardamom powder.
About Sheer Khurma Recipe
Sheer Khurma is a rich dessert consisting of various dry fruits, nuts, ghee, and milk. Think of it like a rice pudding, except instead of rice, you use fine strands of vermicelli.
As I have mentioned above, the words ‘sheer’ or ‘shir’ mean milk, and ‘khurma’ refers to dates. It is also worth noting that these words ‘sheer’ or ‘shir’ appear in the name of another dish – Sheermal, a traditional milk and ghee enriched flatbread with Persian origins.
As with most such dishes, there are many different variations of making it. My easy recipe calls for only a handful of pantry staples, meaning you don’t have to go searching for ingredients like condensed milk or khoya (mawa).
In my recipe, I roast the vermicelli (also known as seviyan in Hindi) first and then add it to milk which has been simmering and thickening slightly.
Table of Contents
The roasted vermicelli gets an almost nutty flavor, which is then imparted to the sweetened milk mixture as it simmers. As the vermicelli-milk mixture thickens, I add dates together with more dry fruits and nuts for sweetness and texture.
I only add about 4 tablespoons of sugar in my Sheer Khurma recipe because I use both dates and raisins, which lend their sweetness to the pudding. You can adjust the proportion of sugar according to the dates you use and your taste preference.
This delicious, sweet pudding is also an excellent dessert to be made in winters as it has plenty of dry fruits and nuts which give a lot of heat and warmth to the body. It is best to have this dessert served hot from the pan during winters.
Difference between Sheer Khurma & Seviyan Kheer
Though Sheer Khurma and Seviyan Kheer (Vermicelli Kheer) look similar, they are not the same. Dates are added to Shir Khurma, but are not added to vermicelli kheer. The inclusion of dates is a defining feature and results in a unique flavor, texture and taste.
The method of cooking Sheer Khurma is also different than vermicelli kheer. While making this pudding, the milk is thickened slightly before adding vermicelli. This results in a thicker, creamier consistency than kheer.
Sheer Khurma is a traditional Mughlai dessert and is often made during the Eid Al-Fitr festival. While Seviyan Kheer refers to a generic term for vermicelli pudding and is made during celebrations and other such occasions.
How to Make Sheer Khurma
Prep Dry Fruits, Dates and Nuts
1. Gather and rinse the dried fruits and nuts except for chironji (charoli seeds). If you want, you can rinse them too. Later drain all the water.
You will need the following dried fruits:
- 30 pistachios (roughly 3 tablespoons or 20 grams)
- 20 almonds (approximately 20 grams)
- 16 to 18 cashews (approximately 20 grams)
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
- 4 large or 8 small to medium-sized dates (about 100 grams)
2. Chop the dates and measure. You should get about ½ cup of chopped dates.
3. Next chop all the nuts – pistachios, almonds, cashews and also the raisins.
Roast Vermicelli
4. Break 40 grams thin and fine wheat vermicelli to shorter strands. You should get 1 cup of broken or chopped vermicelli strands.
5. Heat a heavy bottomed skillet or pan or kadai (wok). When the pan becomes hot, lower the heat. Add the vermicelli. Stirring often, dry roast the vermicelli on low heat.
Note: If using pre-roasted vermicelli, then skip this step of roasting them.
6. Roast until golden and set aside in a plate or tray. You can also opt to roast the vermicelli in ghee if you prefer.
Sauté Nuts, Dates and Dry Fruits
7. In another skillet or frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons Ghee.
8. Add chopped dry fruits and nuts (chopped dates, raisins, cashews, almonds, pistachios. Also add 2 tablespoons chironji seeds.
Chironji seeds give a nice nutty texture, but you can choose to omit them if they are not available to you.
9. Stirring often, sauté for 3 to 4 minutes on a low heat.
Heat Milk
10. Meanwhile heat 1 litre whole milk in the same kadai (wok) or skillet in which you roasted the vermicelli. Stir the milk a few times while it becomes hot and comes to a boil.
11. Let the milk come to boil on medium-low to medium heat.
12. Lower the heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until the milk slightly thickens. Stir the milk at intervals.
Cook Vermicelli
13. When the milk has thickened slightly, add the roasted vermicelli.
14. Add 4 tablespoons sugar (or as required) to the pan. Mix very well.
15. Simmer until the vermicelli are cooked and are softened. This will take about 8 to 10 minutes. The milk will also thicken and reduce by the time the vermicelli cooks.
16. The vermicelli should be nicely cooked and softened.
Make Sheer Khurma
17. When the vermicelli has softened and cooked well, add the flavorings: 15 to 18 saffron strands and 1 teaspoon cardamom powder.
18. Add the entire mixture of sautéed dry fruits, dates, nuts, and ghee from the pan.
19. Switch off the heat and mix well. The chopped dates will thicken the consistency more. Check the taste and add more sugar if needed.
If the consistency is too thick for your liking, add ¼ to ½ cup hot milk. Remember to add sugar as needed when you add more milk.
Serve Sheer Khurma hot or warm in individual bowls. The consistency will thicken as it cools, so allow it to cook to the consistency you want.
20. Lastly add 1 tablespoon rose water and mix to combine. Instead of rose water, you can use kewra water (pandanus water).
21. You could opt to serve Sheer Khurma hot, warm or chilled. You can also garnish this delicious dessert with a drizzle of rose water, or sprinkle a few saffron strands, rose petals or powdered cardamom while serving.
Keep in mind that the consistency thickens as it cools. So make sure to keep a lighter flowing consistency when the khurma is hot.
Sugar & Its Replacements
Because the dates bring in a lot of sweetness in this creamy dessert, you don’t need to add a lot of sugar to this recipe.
But you can always add more according to your taste preference. You can also opt to skip it entirely – just increase the amount of dates.
If you want to substitute sugar with some other sweetener, feel free. Jaggery, palm sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup or agave are all solid options.
Tip: If you are adding jaggery, palm sugar, or coconut sugar, follow these steps: First, cook the Sheer Khurma completely. Then remove the pan from the stovetop and set it aside for 4 to 5 minutes. Add chopped jaggery, palm sugar, or coconut sugar according to the sweetness you prefer.
Expert Tips
- Vermicelli: The type of vermicelli added in Sheer Khurma are the thin, long, and fine strands of whole wheat vermicelli. These have long strands, so you have to break them before roasting. Traditionally Sheer Khurma is always made with wheat vermicelli. If in case you cannot source this variety of vermicelli, opt to use rice vermicelli. But the texture and flavor will be different.
- Nuts & Dry Fruits: Sheer Khurma recipe has plenty of nuts and dry fruits added in it. If you are allergic to some nuts, you can easily skip them. You can also add your own favorite combination of nuts to it.
- Dates: Use any good quality soft dates; Medjool and Ajwa are good choices. If there are seeds in the dates, then chop them and discard the seeds. Dry dates (known as kharik) can also be added. If using dry dates, then soak them in water for a few hours until they soften. Add the dates when you add the roasted nuts and ghee.
- Chironji: Wondering what chironji is? These are small brown-colored seeds with a nutty flavor and taste. In India, we easily get them in any grocery shop. They are also known as ‘charoli‘. If you do not have these seeds, then simply skip them. Be sure to use fresh chironji as they go rancid very quickly.
- Coconut: You can add about 2 tablespoons of desiccated coconut (unsweetened) to this recipe.
- Condensed milk or Khoya: For a richer taste and flavor, you can add ¼ cup grated khoya (mawa) to the milk. If using sweetened condensed milk, add 1 to 1.5 tablespoons (or as needed), skipping the sugar entirely in the recipe.
- Flavorings: While cardamom powder and rose water are the preferred flavorings, you can optionally add 12 to 15 saffron strands. Swap rose water with pandanus water (kewra water). Mix the saffron strands in a few tablespoons of warm milk for that beautiful yellow color in the sheer khorma. Add this saffron-infused milk when you add the sautéed dates, nuts and dried fruit mixture.
FAQs
What does “Sheer Khurma” mean?
In the Persian language, “Sheer Khurma” means milk with dates, but basically it is a creamy and rich pudding made with vermicelli, milk, dates and lot of nuts.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Sure! Just note that the pudding will continue to thicken as it cools. If you prefer a runnier consistency, reheat the pudding and thin the consistency slightly by adding some milk, prior to serving. Sheer Khorma will last for a few days in the refrigerator.
Can I make this vegan?
Certainly! Simply swap refined coconut oil or any neutral oil for the ghee and opt for full fat coconut milk or almond milk instead of dairy.
Just note that the final product will have the flavor of coconut or almond if you opt for this method!
And heat the coconut milk or almond milk gently and do not boil it. Also remember to cook the vermicelli in water instead of the plant-based milks.
Later drain the cooked vermicelli and add it to the almond or coconut milk and gently simmer until hot.
In India, many sweet puddings are made with rice or vermicelli during festive occasions. I have listed some popular Indian festival pudding recipes below.
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Sheer Khurma Recipe (Milk, Vermicelli, Dates Sweet)
Ingredients
For Roasting Vermicelli
- 1 cup or (40 grams) vermicelli (seviyan) – broken, thin strands of whole wheat vermicelli
For Roasting Dry Fruits & Nuts
- 3 tablespoons Ghee (clarified butter)
- 30 or (20 grams or 3 tablespoons) pistachios (unsalted) – chopped or sliced
- 20 or (20 grams) almonds – chopped or sliced
- 16 to 18 cashews – chopped, 20 grams
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
- ½ cup or (100 grams) dates – chopped or 4 large or 8 small to medium-sized
- 2 tablespoons chironji (charoli), optional
More Ingredients
- 1 litre whole milk
- 4 tablespoons sugar or as required (the dates & raisins add a lot of sweetness to the milk, so add sugar accordingly and as needed)
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder or 4 green cardamoms crushed in a mortar-pestle.
- 1 tablespoon rose water or kewra water (pandanus water)
- 15 to 18 saffron strands – optional
Instructions
Preparation
- In a wok (kadai), frying pan or skillet, dry roast the vermicelli stirring often on a low heat until golden and set aside. If you want then you can roast the vermicelli in ghee also.
- In the same pan, heat ghee and add chopped dry fruits, dates, nuts and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes stirring often on a low heat.
Making Sheer Khurma
- Heat milk in a heavy saucepan or pot or kadai (wok) on medium-low to medium heat.
- Let the milk come to a boil. Stir a few times while the milk heats and comes to a boil.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until the milk slightly thickens. Stir often while the milk reduces and thickens.
- Add the roasted vermicelli and sugar to the milk. Mix well to combine.
- Simmer on low to medium-low heat until vermicelli are cooked and have softened. This will take about 8 to 10 minutes on a low heat.
- The milk will also thicken and reduce in volume.
- Add the cardamom powder and saffron strands.
- Also add the entire sauteed dry fruits, nuts and ghee mixture to the milk.
- Switch off the heat and mix well.
- Check the taste and add more sugar if required.
- Finally add rose water and give a stir.
- Serve the Sheer Khurma hot, warm or cold.
- You can also garnish it with saffron strands or rose petals or slivered nuts.
Scaling & Storage
- Store any leftovers in a covered bowl or container in the fridge for a couple of days.
- Sheer Khurma will thicken as it cools. So keep this is mind and cook it to your preferred consistency.
- Make a large batch of this recipe easily to feed a crowd.
Notes
- Vermicelli: Use the thin, long and fine whole wheat vermicelli. These have long strands, so you need to break them before roasting.
- Nuts & Dry Fruits: If you are allergic to some nuts, you can easily skip them. You can even add your favorite nuts and dried fruits.
- Dates: Use any good quality dates. If there are seeds in the dates, then chop them and discard the seeds. Dry dates (known as kharik) can also be added. If using dry dates, then soak them in water for a few hours until they soften. Chop and remove the seeds. Then add them when the vermicelli has softened.
- Chironji: These are small brown colored seeds with a nutty flavor and taste. They are also called as ‘charoli’. Skip, if you do not have these seeds. Use fresh chironji seeds as they go rancid very fast.
- Coconut: Add about 2 tablespoons of unsweetened desiccated coconut.
- Condensed milk or Khoya: For a richer taste and flavor, add ¼ cup grated khoya (mawa) to the milk. If using sweetened condensed milk, add 1 to 1.5 tablespoons (or as needed) skipping the sugar entirely in the recipe.
- Sugar and its replacements: You really need to add less sugar as the dates add a lot of sweetness to the dish. But you can always add more according to your taste preference. For health reasons, you can skip sugar entirely – just increase the amount of dates. You can even add jaggery, palm sugar, or coconut sugar. Make the sheer khurma first. Then remove the pan from stovetop and set it aside for 4 to 5 minutes. Add chopped jaggery, palm sugar, coconut sugar according to the sweetness you prefer.
- Flavorings: My recipe has cardamom powder, saffron and rose water. But you can omit saffron. For a lovely light yellow colored sheer khurma, soak 12 to 15 saffron strands in warm milk for some minutes and add this mixture to the sheer khurma when you add the sautéed dates and nuts mixture. You can also use pandanus water (kewra water) instead of rose water.
Nutrition
Sheer Khurma recipe from the archives was first published on November 2013.
Hello Amit Dassanna,
The last comment is almost 1year back. Am not sure if this comment will get read or not…….all the same, posting my comment below:
I made the toddler’s version of this above recipe.
First I dry roasted the dry-cleaning and fine-ground in the mixer. Then added it to the sevaiyan while roasting it in ghee. Then added to it, the dates n raisins’ paste and then added the milk to the same. And boiled it until the sevaiyan were all done. Then also added a little bit (2 spoons, a little bigger than teaspoon) of milkmaid. Needn’t require to add any sugar after that.
It turned out good for my toddler who considers the dry fruits as ‘speedbreakers’ while eating and therefore would avoid to eat altogether.
Thanks.
I refer to your recipes very frequently. I keep going to your recipes as all the ingredients required to achieve the flavors are generally available with me and you don’t much go for exotic or fancy ingredients. Keep up the good work 🙂
shubada, i have not received any comment from you lately or even before. thats a nice variation you made for your toddler – fuss free eating ????
thanks for sharing.
also thanks for the feedback on recipes. i personally avoid using fancy ingredients as most readers will not get access to these ingredients in india easily. but having said that at times, due to readers’ requests i do try to develop and then add some recipes with ingredients that are not easily available everywhere in india eg quinoa or chia seeds etc.
a very good recipe
thankyou manali.
if not saffron..
some time we can also add.. a spoon of honey.. 🙂
thankyou nayanjee.
This was 2nd sweet recipe from your Blog after Kesar Suji Halwa. It turned exactly same, as yum as pictures in this blog. I def had tasted sevai kheer before. Never had more than 1 spoon every single time. But ‘sheer khurma’ is best version and I wont try any other recipe for sure.
I used jaggery, substitute for sugar and roasted Vermicelli and skipped dates(not available).
Now my next try will b kala-jamun-recipe. I have saved it for ..Diwali!
Thanks again!
we are very pleased to know you liked the suji halwa and the sheer kurma. surely try kala jamun recipe and do let us know how they turned out? thankyou and you are welcome sban 🙂
I am a great fan of ua site since a year…I ve startd cooking in when I ws 16 inspired by ur site….thanx a lot dasanna amit….I wanna try this recipe. Would u pls telll m wts charoli???? Wer do I get t??
thanks a lot sahitya. charoli is also called as chironji in hindi. these are small brown colored seeds with a nutty flavor and taste. you will get them in any grocery shop.
Thanx a lot dasanna amit…
Hi Dassana, this dish appears to be very similar to seviyan kheer. Any significant differences?
Secondly, do you have the version where the vermicelli is cooked in water (after roasting etc) and a dollop of cream added on top. I had tasted this many years ago at someone’s place but couldn’t never replicate the exact taste at home. 🙂
Many thanks once again!
some differences are there. firstly dates are used in sheer khurma which is not added to seviyan. the process and method of cooking is also different. i am hearing this method from you for the first time. welcome.
hi dear i have a doubt …..once i added dry dates to the milk n it got curdled ……… plc clarify
is it dates or were there raisins too. i never made sheer kurma with dry dates. my mom makes with dry dates and she never had any issues. but in my experience whenever i have added raisins in milk, the milk has curdled. you can soak the dates overnight and then when making the sheer kurma once the milk thickens, you add them. since they are already soaked, they will take less time to cook.
The other way of avoiding the issue with raisins is that you should cook sewai in milk but make a seperate runny sugar syrup adding all the dry fruits including dry dates and raisins. While serving you need to mix sewai + milk along with the dry fruits mixture. We also add dry coconut pieces to this.
thanks a lot shaheen for sharing this method. agree completely with your technique of cooking the sevai separately. i know dry coconut pieces are also added. thanks again.