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Sheer khurma
Sheer khurma for Eid: fine vermicelli simmered in reduced milk with dates, almonds, pistachios and cardamom
Sheer khurma means milk with dates in Persian, and in Pakistan it is the taste of Eid ul-Fitr morning: after the Eid prayer, families come home and every visitor who knocks that day is handed a small bowl. It is richer and nuttier than everyday seviyan: whole milk is boiled down until creamy, fine vermicelli fried golden in ghee goes in late, and it is loaded with soaked dried dates (chhuhare), almonds, pistachios, cashews, raisins and charoli seeds, scented with cardamom. It is served warm in the morning and thickens to a spoonable pudding when cold. The mistake most people make is adding the vermicelli too early or using too much; it keeps drinking milk as it cools and turns stodgy. Chef's tip: soak the dried dates overnight and slice them thinly; fresh soft dates melt away, but soaked chhuhare stay chewy and sweet in every spoonful.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Bring 6 ¼ cups whole milk to the boil in a wide heavy pan over a medium-high heat, stirring the base so it does not catch. Turn down to medium and let it bubble for 15 minutes, stirring every minute or two and scraping in the skin from the sides, until it has reduced by about a third and looks creamy.
15 minStep 2: Meanwhile heat 2 tbsp ghee in a frying pan over a medium-low heat. Fry 1 oz almonds, ⅔ oz pistachios and ⅔ oz cashews for 2 minutes until they smell toasted, add ⅔ oz raisins and 1 tbsp charoli seeds (chironji) for 30 seconds until the raisins puff, then lift everything out with a slotted spoon.
3 minStep 3: In the same ghee fry 2 ⅛ oz fine roasted vermicelli (seviyan) for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until evenly golden brown. Watch it closely; it goes from golden to burnt very quickly.
3 minStep 4: Add 6 dried dates (chhuhare), 5 green cardamom pods and the fried vermicelli to the milk and simmer on a medium-low heat for 5–6 minutes, until the vermicelli is soft but still in separate strands.
6 minStep 5: Stir in 3 ⅛ oz sugar and 1 ¾ oz khoya (dried milk solids) if using and simmer 2 minutes more until the sugar dissolves. Take it off the heat while it still looks quite thin and pourable; it thickens a lot as it cools.
2 minStep 6: Stir in most of the fried nuts and raisins and 1 tsp rose water if using. Serve warm or chilled in small bowls with the rest of the nuts on top. If it sets too thick in the fridge, loosen with a little warm milk.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 400 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sheer khurma take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
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