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Shemai (Bangladeshi Eid vermicelli in milk)
Roasted fine vermicelli simmered in milk with sugar, cardamom and bay leaf
On Eid morning in Dhaka, Chattogram and villages across Bangladesh, a pot of shemai is usually on the stove before anyone leaves for prayers, and it's the first sweet offered to every visitor that day. Fine wheat vermicelli is toasted in ghee until golden, then simmered in milk with sugar, cardamom, cinnamon and the bay leaf that gives Bengali sweets their gentle, warm scent, and finished with raisins and nuts. It's creamy and soft but still loose, and it thickens as it cools. Serve it warm, or chilled the day after. It is naturally egg-free: the starch from the toasted vermicelli thickens the reduced milk, so it needs nothing to bind it. Chef's tip: take it off the heat while it still looks a little thin; cooking it until thick in the pan is the common mistake, because it sets into a stiff paste once it cools.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 3 ½ oz fine wheat vermicelli (shemai)broken into 5 cm pieces
- 4 ¼ cups full-fat milk
- 3 ½ oz sugar
- 3 green cardamom podslightly crushed
- 1 cinnamon sticksmall
- 1 bay leaf
- ⅔ oz raisins
- ⅔ oz almonds or cashew nuts (optional)slivered
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a heavy pan over a medium-low heat and add 3 green cardamom pods, 1 cinnamon stick and 1 bay leaf. Fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
1 minStep 2: Add 3 ½ oz fine wheat vermicelli (shemai) and stir constantly for 3–4 minutes, until evenly golden brown and toasty-smelling.
4 minStep 3: Pour in 4 ¼ cups full-fat milk, raise the heat to medium and bring to the boil, stirring.
6 minStep 4: Simmer for 5–6 minutes, stirring often, until the vermicelli is soft.
6 minStep 6: Turn off the heat and scatter over ⅔ oz almonds or cashew nuts if using. Serve warm, or chill and loosen with a little cold milk.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does shemai (Bangladeshi Eid vermicelli in milk) take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 20 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 full-fat milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
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